Felicia Pride has asked bloggers throughout the community to celebrate the Hip Hop song that means the most to us. Lauryn Hill immediately comes to my mind. The Mis-Education of Lauryn Hill not only honors one of our most important historians, Carter G. Woodson, but it also articulates a fresh vision of Black female life. Every cut on this album is a classic. It is perfect.

I love “If I Ruled the World,” Hill’s duet with Nas. The confluence of male and female voices at a time when Hip Hop and Black folk truly needed substance beyond bling and booty-wopping helps to keep the freedom thang rolling.

Of course, I’d have to add the Ol Skool “Fight the Power,” just cause I wouldn’t have gotten through college without it. Once in a while, I still throw it on when I step out into the world – just to get my head right. (Any Gen X-er that doesn’t get misty-eyed after clicking on this uncut video ain’t fully human.)

And I’d have to add Umi, by Mos Def. It is a wonder. The layering of sound references the best of Marvin Gaye, and the insistence on community (again, in a time of crass individualism) reverberates in my very bones. It is a work of art. This video is a prayer. It, and I, “want Black people to be free, to be free…”

Thanks to Felicia Pride. She brought out some emotion by asking me to remember the music that sets us free.

Joy!