"Everything Is Everything" is the third and final single from American recording artist Lauryn Hill's debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Released on May 4, 1999 by Ruffhouse and Columbia Records, the song was written by Hill and Johari Newton, and produced by Hill. The song contains elements of R&B, '60s soul, and hip hop influences. "Everything is Everything" garnered acclaim from critics, many of whom praised its lyrical themes and genre variance. The song marked the first commercial appearance of pianist John Legend, who was 19 years old when the song was recorded. During the recording sessions, Hill wanted to write a song about injustice and struggles amongst youth communities in inner-city Urban America. "Everything Is Everything" reached number 35 on the BillboardHot 100 Singles Chart, number 14 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, number 18 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart, and number 19 on the UK Singles Chart upon release. The Recording Industry Association of America certified the song Gold in shipping 500,000 units and in 2007, the song was ranked number 66 in About.com's list of the "Top 100 Rap Songs". A music video, directed by Sanji, was filmed in Los Angeles' Method Studios depicting Hill walking through New York City. In 2000, "Everything Is Everything" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video, along with a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award nomination and 3 MTV Video Music Award nominations for Best Hip-Hop Video, Best Direction, and Best Special Effects. The song is covered by The Roots and Booker T. Jones for the latter's album The Road from Memphis.
Background
"Everything Is Everything" marked the first commercial appearance of R&B musician John Legend, who played piano on the song and was still in his late teens at the time. In the album's liner notes Legend is credited by his birth name John Stephens. The song reached number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 14 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, number 18 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart, and number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. In collaboration with TheLPLyrics, a remix featuring TheLPUnknown was released in 2011.
Critical reaction
In 2008, About.com ranked "Everything is Everything" number 66 on their 100 Greatest Rap Songs list.
Music video
The music video for "Everything Is Everything" was directed by Sanji, who helmed critically acclaimed videos for artists such as Macy Gray, Common, Seal and Jennifer Lopez. The video depicted Hill on the streets of New York City, which is seen as a huge vinyl record on a turntable spinning around playing the music. She runs down the street in various scenes and stages sidestepping the turntable needle as it scratches back and forth through the city until the end; Hill stands on the spinning record appearing in her name on the label. In 2000, "Everything Is Everything" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Music Video/Short Film, along with a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award nomination and 3 MTV Video Music Award Nominations for Best Hip-Hop Video, Best Direction, and Best Special Effects.
