“Lost Ones” by Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill in this song makes references to her beef with former Fugees band mate Wyclef Jean, how they both got successful and destroyed their relationship.

The singer who suggests that her freedom makes her ex uncomfortable, claims that people tried to use her youth against her by trying to exploit her naivety but she was well aware of all their tricks. The narrator in the chorus makes it clear that although this ex thinks they have gained a lot of material things after their breakup, he has actually lost one great treasure; her. She further throws shade at her ex for being hypocritical, implying that karma will reward him in due time.

Summary: This track is apparently targeted at Wyclef Jean, Lauryn’s former bandmate.

“Lost Ones” Facts

Writing: Hill alongside Vada Nobles
Production: Hill & Nobles
Album: Lauryn’s maiden 1998 studio album titled “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”
Release: August 25, 1998

Did Lauryn Hill release “Lost Ones” as a single?

No. Lauryn’s maiden album, which this song is a product of, produced the following singles:

• “Everything Is Everything”
• “Ex-Factor”
• “Doo Wop (That Thing)“

Lauryn Hill’s Feud with Wyclef Jean and The Fugees

There’s an old saying that there’s two sides to every story. Well the Fugees were a three-man (including a woman) squad. And despite only dropping two albums as a unit, they were in fact the most-successful rap group of the 1990s. So the plot premises already existed for all of it to go astray.

The Fugees consisted of vocalists Lauryn, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel. For the most part Wyclef was recognized as the brains behind the group. Whereas his lyrical skills may have been suspect in the eyes of many, there’s no denying that he is an exceptional producer.

Well this perception did not necessarily sit well with Lauryn. In other words, there were moments where she felt she was just not getting her just due, despite being unanimously recognized as the actual star of the group.

And moreover, it was one of those kinds of situations where feelings were not perceived as being mutual. For instance, Clef dropped his first solo album, “The Carnival”, in 1997.  Fans familiar with this project know that Lauryn (and to a lesser degree Pras) is present throughout. By contrast Wyclef is nowhere to be found on Lauryn’s first solo project, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” (1998). And according to sources this was partially due to the fact that Lauryn was more of a team player than Wyclef, as in being more supportive of his solo project than vice versa. In fact it has been put forth that it was Wyclef’s attitude, not her own ambitions per se, which led to Hill dropping the classic Miseducaton. That is to say that Lauryn ultimately wanted to prove that she could make a successful album without the input of Jean.

Romance Tore Them Apart

But what really messed up their relationship was romance. You see, during a good part of the 1990s, concurrent with the Fugees’ rise to fame, Wyclef and Lauryn were actually in a clandestine relationship. In fact it was so serious that at one point, Clef was actually convinced that Lauryn was going to birth him a son. But in actuality the father was Rohan Marley, one of the children of reggae legend Bob Marley, whom Lauryn was also seeing at the time. And this confusion caused a wedge in her relationship with Wyclef (despite Clef himself being married to another woman) which has never been rectified.

But for the record, even though the Fugees dropped their last group album in 1996, according to Pras Michel they did not actually disband until “like 2004 or 2005”.