“Ex-Factor” by Lauryn Hill

"Ex-Factor" is the bruised heart of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, her 1998 solo debut: a soul song she wrote and produced herself, sent out as the album's second single that December. It rides a sample of Wu-Tang Clan's "Can It Be All So Simple", which is why the composer credits run to eight names, Method Man and Marvin Hamlisch among them, and some have claimed it's about her former Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean.

James Poyser plays organ, Rhodes and Wurlitzer, Johari Newton adds guitar, and Commissioner Gordon recorded and mixed it. Spin put it third among the best singles of 1999, it went top five in the UK and won a Soul Train award in 2000, and Drake ("Nice For What") and Cardi B ("Be Careful") have both sampled it since.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.