Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill was born in 1975 in New Jersey. She attended Columbus High School and was an active student, performing in talent shows. She acted in the TV show As The World Turns when sixteen, and had a role in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
She joined the musical group The Refugee Camp (Fugees) after Prazakrel 'Pras' Michel invited her to join his musical group in school. When going to the studio, Hill met Pras' cousin and fellow Haitian immigrant, Wyclef Jean. She became known as L Boggie as she turned her poetry into rap verses.
The group's first album together was Blunted on Reality. The album had singles Nappy Heads and Vocab but failed to make a sizable impression. The album was heavily hyped but bore little success.
The group's second album, The Score, put the group on the radar as it went multiplatinum and won Grammy awards. The album's most well known track is 'Killing Me Softly' which made the group famous. Other recognizable numbers include 'Ready or Not' and 'No Woman, No Cry.'
In the following years, Hill acted in several other performances. She appeared in the play 'Club XII' as well as the movies Hav Plenty and Restaurant.
1998 was the year Hill put out her solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. The album was a critical success and a tremendous commercial success going 8 times platinum. The album's most popular single was 'Doo Wop (That Thing)' which went to #1. She was nominated for eleven Grammy awards and set the new record for awards won by a women in the industry. She won Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Album.
After her albums release, Hill became disappointed with the music industry. She went on a introspective spiritual journey for a few years in which she was away from social interaction. According to Hill, 'I had to confront my fears and master every demonic thought about inferiority, about insecurity or the fear of being Black, young and gifted in this western culture.' She stopped watching television and listening to music and began to explore methods of expressing herself.
Apearing again in 2001, Lauryn Hill performed for fans in an MTV filmed appearance. She had cut her hair off and wore plain clothing. The songs were released on the album 2002 MTV Unplugged No. 2.0, which went platinum despite very mixed reviews. Many of the songs featured only Hill's voice with an acoustic guitar. This radical departure from normal music led some critics to praise Hill's passion, brilliance and honesty while others reviled the album as unlistenable.
The Fugees reunited in 2004 and have begun work on a new album. Likewise, Lauryn (who now prefers to be called 'Ms. Hill') is working on another album and reportedly has built up a large quantity of high quality tracks.
Besides her musical career, Hill is an active humanitarian. She founded the Refugee Project which hosts camps for at-risk youth and supports well-building projects in Kenya and Uganda. She also staged a rap concert in Harlem to promote voter registration and has been honored with many awards for her works.
Hill has four children with Rohan Marley, son of Bob Marley. Zion David was born in 1997, Selah Louise in 1998, Joshua in 2002 and John Omaru in 2003. It has not been confirmed if the couple is legally married as rumors have it that Marley married another woman while at colleg and never had a divorce.