Lauryn Hill Digital Biography

"Be honest, brutally honest. That is what's going to maintain relationships."

– Lauryn Hill

Background and Career with the Fugees

Singer-songwriter, producer and actress Lauryn Noelle Hill was born in South Orange, New Jersey, on May 26, 1975, to Valerie Hill, a teacher, and Mal Hill, a computer consultant. After releasing her solo debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, in 1998, Hill became the first woman or hip-hop artist to win five Grammy Awards—for album of the year, best new artist, best female R&B performance, best R&B song ("Doo Wop (That Thing)") and best R&B album.

A natural performer, Lauryn Hill was singing at Harlem's Apollo Theater by the age of 13. Soon after, she met Prakazrel "Pras" Michel and his cousin, Wyclef Jean, and the three formed a band focusing on hip-hop, soul and R&B. First called Tranzlator Crew (later becoming the Fugees), the group began performing in area clubs, with Hill singing lead vocals.

Hill tried her hand at acting at an early age, as well. When she was just a high school sophomore (attending Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey), Hill landed a recurring role on the television soap opera As the World Turns. Soon after, she earned a featured part in the popular film Sister Act II: Back in the Habit, starring Whoopi Goldberg.

Instead of heading to Hollywood, in 1993, Hill enrolled at Columbia University, where she studied for a year before pursuing a performance career. That same year, the Fugees released their first album, Blunted on Reality, which met with mixed reviews. Three years later, the group released a hugely successful second project, The Score (1996). Featuring the hit single "Killing Me Softly," which highlighted Hill's bold and soulful vocals, the album sold 17 million copies—making the Fugees the highest-selling rap group of all time—and garnered two Grammy Awards (best rap album and best R&B performance by a duo or group).

Following The Score's release in 1996, the Fugees have briefly reunited for live performances, but have not worked on another album. In 2003, the group released a Greatest Hits album.

Going Solo

Lauryn Hill's first solo effort, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998), established her as a major talent in her own right. The album sold more than 12 million copies and earned the singer-songwriter five Grammys, three American Music Awards, a Billboard Award, a Soul Train Award and an MTV Music Award.

After an extended hiatus, Hill returned in 2002 with MTV Unplugged No. 2.0, a recording of her two-hour acoustic performance on the popular series MTV Unplugged. In October 2005, Hill performed two songs at the Take Back TV concert launching Al Gore's CurrentTV.

Outside of her performance career, Hill is a dedicated activist. She founded an organization dedicated to serving underprivileged urban youth called the Refugee Camp Youth Project; the group raises money to send inner-city children in Hill's native New Jersey to summer camp. 

Hill has five children with longtime boyfriend Rohan Marley, the son of legendary reggae singer Bob Marley: Zion (born in August 1997), Selah Louise (born in November 1998), Joshua (born in January 2002), John (born in 2003) and Sarah (born in January 2008). Hill also has a son from a later relationship, Micah, who was born on July 23, 2011.

Recent News

In May 2013, a 37-year-old Hill made headlines when she was sentenced to three months in prison for not paying federal taxes on approximately $1 million in earnings. The hip-hop singer had pleaded guilty to the tax-evasion charges in 2012. "I needed to be able to earn so I could pay my taxes, without compromising the health and welfare of my children, and I was being denied that," Hill said in a statement, following her sentencing.

During 2014, Hill was heard as the narrator of Concerning Violence, an award-winning Swedish documentary on the African liberation struggles of the 1960s and 1970s. She also continued to draw media attention for her erratic behavior, appearing late twice in the same day for sets at Voodoo Fest in November 2014.

In May 2015, Hill canceled her scheduled concert outside Tel Aviv in Israel following a social media campaign from activists promoting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. She said she had wanted to also perform a show in Ramallah in the West Bank but logistical problems had proved too great. Hill stated: "It is very important to me that my presence or message not be misconstrued, or a source of alienation to either my Israeli or my Palestinian fans."

Hill contributed her voice to the soundtrack for What Happened, Miss Simone?, a 2015 documentary about the life of Nina Simone, an American singer, pianist, and civil rights activist. Hill was originally supposed to record only two songs for the record, but ended up recording six. She also served as a producer on the compilation alongside Robert Glasper. Hill said of her connection to Simone: "Because I fed on this music ... I believed I always had a right to have a voice. Her example is clearly a form of sustenance to a generation needing to find theirs. What a gift." NPR critically praised Hill's performance on the soundtrack, stating: "This album mainly showcases Lauryn Hill's breadth and dexterity. Not formally marketed as Hill's comeback album, her six tracks here make this her most comprehensive set of studio recordings since The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1998."

In April 2016, Hill hosted and headlined what was billed as the inaugural Diaspora Calling! festival at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn. The festival's purpose was to showcase the efforts of musicians and artists from around the African diaspora like Brooklyn Haitian Rara band Brother High Full tempo. The following month, Hill was approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes late for her show at the Chastain Park Amphitheatre in Atlanta, though members of Hill's team claimed it was only an hour after their scheduled start time. Moments after the less-than-40-minute show ended due to the venue's strict 11:00 p.m. closing time, Hill said her driver had gotten lost and she could not help that. Less than 48 hours later, after a large backlash from her fans on Twitter, she took to her Facebook page and stated she was late for the concert because of certain needs, including her need to "align her energy with the time."

Hill recorded a studio version of her song, "Guarding the Gates", for the movie Queen & Slim which was released on November 27, 2019. She had been singing this song during live performances for several years prior to the recording for the movie. This song appears on the album, Queen & Slim: The Soundtrack.

Legacy and impact

Hill is widely considered to be one of the greatest rappers of all time, and has often been called the greatest female rapper. The New York Times once referred to Hill as "the most popular woman in hip-hop". In the book, Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists, rapper Kool Moe Dee gave Hill the highest score of any rapper, on his rap 'Report Cards' list. In 2012, VH1 ranked Hill as one of the Greatest Woman in Music. Billboard ranked her as the seventh greatest rapper of all time. Consequence of Sound named her one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. For TIME, music critic Brandon Tensley wrote, "few artists have marked culture as profoundly as Hill did with her solo debut". In 2019, Hill ranked number-one on the Ranker poll of the greatest singer/rappers. Beyoncé has referred to Hill as "one of the best hip-hop rappers ever". Hill was included on the NPR list of the '50 Great Voices'. In 2021, she was among the inaugural nominees for the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

In her solo music and work with Fugees, Hill pioneered the technique of rapping and singing; this has since become popular, with many modern artists like Beyoncé, Drake, Nicki Minaj and Kanye West emulating it. Music journalist Danyel Smith credited Hill with reviving the hip hop genre, following the murders of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur.

Hill has often been cited as one of the most influential entertainers of her generation. Many artists have cited Lauryn Hill as an inspiration to them, including pop artist Adele, Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Mumford & Sons, SZA, Doja Cat, H.E.R., P!nk, Kelly Clarkson; rappers Kanye West, Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Nicki Minaj, Nas, Lil' Kim, Foxy Brown, Rapsody; and K-pop artists Jennie of Blackpink, CL of 2NE1, and RM of BTS.

Producer Savan Kotecha told Vulture that he and Ariana Grande were inspired by Lauryn Hill and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album during the recording of Grande's fourth studio album Sweetener. Beyoncé was inspired by Hill during the making of her fourth album 4. Additional albums inspired by Hill include Daytona by Pusha T, The College Dropout by Kanye West, and Immunity by Clairo. Multiple artist have titled projects after Hill's debut solo album including Freddie Gibbs (The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs), rappers Calboy & Lil Wayne ("Miseducation"),[172] and Lil' Kim ("Mis-education of Lil' Kim").

In an interview with the New York Post, singer Erykah Badu called Hill her hero. Primarily a rapper, Lizzo incorporated singing into her debut record. She stated in an interview in 2018, "I was always afraid of being a singer, but then when I heard Lauryn Hill, I was like, maybe I can do both", further adding that her debut album was inspired by The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, "rapping, singing, being political". Nicki Minaj has made mention of Hill's influence on her on multiple occasions; Including on 2020 US number-one single "Say So Remix", In which Minaj raps, "Spittin' like Weezy, Foxy, plus Lauryn". Minaj has also referred to Hill as her idol and quoted her in her high school yearbook. John Legend credits Hill for helping him launch a career into the music industry. R&B singer Kehlani, has a tattoo of the singer on her arm. Colbie Caillat launched a music career after hearing Hill's singing in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. Rapsody and Bebe Rexha have referred to Hill as their biggest musical inspiration. After performing with Hill, The Weeknd described the experience as the "most important experience of my life". During her 2018 Grammy award acceptance speech, Latin singer Rosalía thanked Hill for being an inspiration to her. Ella Mai, Rihanna, Childish Gambino, H.E.R., Dan Smith of Bastille, and Adele have all called The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill their personal favorite album, while rappers J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar have listed it as their favorite album by a female artist.

Music sampling

Hill's single "Doo Wop (That Thing)", was sampled by Drake on the song "Draft Day", and later sampled by Kanye West on "Believe What I Say" from his album, Donda. In 2018, Hill's single "Ex-Factor" was sampled on Cardi B's "Be Careful" and Drake's "Nice for What". Jay-Z samples Hill's vocals from the Fugees single "Fu-Gee-La" on the song "Moonlight", from his 4:44 album. J. Cole samples Hill's "Nothing Even Matters" in his song "Cole Summer" and "To Zion" in "Can I Holla At Ya". Meek Mill sampled Hill's vocal from the Fugees song "Ready or Not" in his song of the same name. Kanye West's "All Falls Down" contains an interpolation of "Mystery of Iniquity" from her live album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0. In 2018, A$AP Rocky and Frank Ocean released "Purity" which samples "I Gotta Find Peace of Mind". Ocean also sampled Hill's "Just Like Water" on the Jazmine Sullivan-featured "Rushes", from his 2016 album Endless. Method Man released "Say" as the lead single from his album 4:21... The Day After, which sampled the song "So Many Things to Say". In 2020, Mariah Carey released the single "Save the Day", as the lead single from her compilation album The Rarities, featuring Hill's vocal sampled from the Fugees track "Killing Me Softly".

Achievements

Hill has won numerous accolades throughout her career, including eight Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, four NAACP Image Awards, including the President's Award, and has earned four Guinness World Records.

Hill won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album as a member of The Fugees, for their album The Score, becoming the first female artist to win the award. The Score peaked at number-one on the Billboard 200 chart, making Hill the first female rapper to earn a number-one album as a member of The Fugees; her first solo studio album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, also peaked at number-one, making Hill the first solo female hip hop act to reach number-one on that chart. The album sold more than 400,000 copies in its first week, breaking the then record for highest first-week sales by a female artist. Both The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and its lead single "Doo Wop (That Thing)" debuted at number-one in the US, making Hill the first act to have debuted at number-one on both the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 with their first entries on each chart. The album was nominated for ten Grammy Awards and won five that night, Including Album of the Year, becoming the first hip hop album to win the award, while Hill broke the record at the time for most nominations and wins for a female artist in one night, and became the first female rapper to win the Best New Artist award.

In 1999, after the success of her first solo album, Hill landed on the cover of Time magazine, and was the only black musician on the cover in the 1990s decade. With The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she became a pioneer in the neo soul genre, when the album was one of the first in the genre to achieve mainstream success, and became the best-selling neo soul album of all time. NPR ranked it 2nd on its list of "The 150 Greatest Albums Made by Women". Rolling Stone listed it as the 10th-Greatest Album of All Time, on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, in 2020. In 2021, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was certified Diamond by the RIAA, making Hill the first female hip hop artist to achieve this.

Along with having a successful music career as a member of The Fugees and as a solo artist, Hill also achieved success as a songwriter and producer for other artists. Hill has written songs for Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, CeCe Winans and produced songs for Whitney Houston and Santana, among others.

(sources: biography.com, Wikipedia) 

See More of the 90's Artists Collection 

See More of the Female Emcees Collection