Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill (born May 26, 1975, South Orange, New Jersey, U.S.) is an American singer whose soulful voice propelled her to the top of the hip-hop and rhythm-and-blues charts at the end of the 20th century. She retreated from the spotlight thereafter.

Hill and high school classmate Prakazrel (“Pras”) Michel performed together under the name Tranzlator Crew and were joined shortly thereafter by Wyclef Jean. As a teenager, Hill also acted on the television soap opera As the World Turns and alongside Whoopi Goldberg in the film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. With the money she earned from her acting jobs, she helped finance her group, renamed the Fugees in 1993. It was eventually signed to a division of Columbia Records, but its debut album, Blunted on Reality (1994), attracted less-than-spectacular reviews. Critics commented that Hill overshadowed her partners and that she should strike out on her own. The group’s second album, The Score (1996), which featured an impressive remake of Roberta Flack’s 1973 hit “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” was much better received, selling more than 18 million copies and earning two Grammy Awards. Hill, who had been pursuing a degree in history at Columbia University, abandoned her studies, and the group’s members decided to pursue their individual interests.

In 1996 Hill established the Refugee Project, an organization designed to aid underprivileged youths, and the following year she and Rohan Marley (Bob Marley’s son) had their first child. In early 1998 she began putting together a solo album, flying to Jamaica to record the work at the Bob Marley Museum Studio. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was released that August. Fueled by the success of the single “Doo Wop (That Thing),” the album went multiplatinum in several countries, and in 1999 Hill was nominated for 10 Grammy Awards. She won five, including those for best new artist and album of the year.

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Hill’s sound, often categorized as “neo-soul,” bridged hip-hop and mainstream popular music. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was also notable for its deeply personal lyrics, which addressed such themes as the meaning of self, family, and community. She followed her debut solo recording with a two-disc live album taken from her appearance on MTV’s Unplugged series in 2002. The album, which featured an unpolished performance by Hill on acoustic guitar, was punctuated throughout with extended tear-filled meditations on the burdens of celebrity. Although MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 sold poorly, Hill proved that she could still be a significant draw when she co-headlined the Smokin’ Grooves tour with OutKast later in 2002. For the rest of the decade, however, her recorded output was limited to guest appearances on others’ releases and single songs on film sound tracks.

In 2012 Hill pleaded guilty to having failed to file tax returns for 2005–07. She was subsequently sentenced to a three-month prison term and an additional three months in home confinement. Following her release in 2013, she continued to draw large audiences when she performed, though she gained a reputation for being erratic. Hill contributed six tracks to Nina Revisited…A Tribute to Nina Simone (2015) that showcased her undeniable power and suppleness as a singer. She later recorded the song “Guarding the Gates” for the movie Queen & Slim (2019).