Lauryn Hill is a New Jersey-born artist who took the world by storm in 1992, forming a girl group called The Fugees. During this time, she acted in films like “Sister Act 2,” starring Woopie Goldberg, and TV series As the World Turns. Following the films, she used the money garnered from acting to help fund her group. Soon after, The Fugees signed to a division of Columbia Records. After releasing their first album, Blunted on Reality (1994,) the music collection was quickly placed in a negative light. Reviewers and critics commented that Hill overshadowed her partners and that she should start her own career. The group’s next album, The Score (1996), gained a much better public response, selling more than 18 million copies and merited two Grammy Awards. While in the group, Hill was studying history at Columbia College. Later, she stopped her studies and the group decided to go separate ways to chase their own careers.
In 1996, Hill established the Refugee project, an organization geared toward aiding underprivileged youth. The following year, Hill and Rohan Marley (Bob Marley’s son) had their first child. In the beginning of the 1998, she began piecing together her own album, flying to Jamaica to record her work at Bob Marley’s Museum Studio. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was released that August. Led by the success of the track “Doo Wop (that thang),” the album went multiplatinum in several countries, and in 1999 Hill was nominated for 10 Grammys. She ended the night with five awards, including those for Best New Artist and Album of the Year. Hill’s discography is typically categorized as “neo-soul,” and bridges the gap between hip-pop and mainstream popular music. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was remarkable for its deeply personal lyrics, which addressed topics such as family, community and self-identity.
In 2012, Hill pleaded guilty to not filing her taxes from 2005-2007. She was issued a three-month prison term and three months of home confinement. After her release in 2013, she continued to draw large attraction when she performed. 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).
