Lauryn Hill has made the decision to cancel the remaining dates of her tour, including the upcoming show in Philadelphia today (Nov. 25). 

The tour was created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her solo debut, 1998’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” It also featured collaborative shows with her band, the Fugees.

Hill took to Instagram to explain that she’s been struggling with severe vocal strain for the past month. She relied on Prednisone to endure the tour, but is now taking a break for genuine vocal recovery, discontinuing the medication.

“As many of you may know, I’ve been battling serious vocal strain for the past month,” she wrote. “I made it through each show by taking prescribed prednisone, but this can be detrimental to the body when taken in large amounts over long periods of time. In order to prevent any long term negative effect on my voice and my body, I need to take time off to allow for real vocal recovery so that I can discontinue the medication completely.”

Despite the setback, there is a silver lining: The canceled dates will be rescheduled for early 2024, with the tour expanding to include new cities domestically and overseas. Hill expressed gratitude for the overwhelming response and assured fans that the updated tour calendar would be announced soon.

“The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” was a massive commercial success. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling approximately 422,624 copies in its first week and eventually becoming certified 8x Platinum in the United States by the RIAA. The album received critical acclaim and won numerous awards. In 1999, it won five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. Several singles from the album, including "Doo Wop (That Thing)" and "Ex-Factor," performed well on the charts.

Often regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, it had a significant impact on the music industry, blending various genres like R&B, hip-hop, and reggae.

“‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ is and was a love song to my parents, my family, my people, my musical and cultural forebears, my teachers, my loves, my Creator,” Hill told Rolling Stone. “I wrote love songs and protest songs— (still love songs) about the subjects and interests that inspired and moved me.” 

“I was confident that what inspired me would resonate with an audience that had been led to believe that songs of that kind could only live in the past.”