"Lost Ones" and "Ex-Factor"

Hill's album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" gets to the point immediately with the first track "Lost Ones." The listener cannot question the meaning of the song after hearing Hill spit out, "It's funny how money can change a situation / Miscommunication led to complication / My emancipation don't fit your equation." Her powerhouse voice that is so clearly an influence on future female rappers and R&B singers would send Wycleaf Jean, or any man for that matter, into hiding. The powerful repetition of, "You might win some but you just lost one" grabs you and makes you thankful you are not the one who scorned Hill. However, her fiery anger completely pivots as the soft piano notes open the next track, "Ex-Factor." The message, like in the first track, is clear, relating to love and breakups. The lines, "It could all be so simple / But you'd rather make it hard / Loving you is like a battle / And we both end up with scars" would reveal the same angry feelings as the preceding track if it were not for the fluidity and softness to her voice. "Ex-Factor" contrasts sharply against "Lost Ones" as it is not a threat, but rather a bearing of her soul.