Lauryn Hill Artistfacts

May 26, 1975
Lauryn Hill was born in East Orange, New Jersey, but her family would eventually settle in South Orange, where she would meet a fellow future star: actor Zach Braff.
Hill immersed herself in Motown and R&B at a young age when she discovered her mom's old albums in her attic. She began singing in earnest at age 7 when her mom took her to see a production of Annie. After that, she drove her family crazy by singing the show's tunes non-stop.
At age 12, Hill competed on the amateur portion of It's Showtime at the Apollo, singing the Miracles' "Who's Lovin' You."
Hill met her Fugees bandmates, Prakazrel Michel and his cousin Wyclef Jean, when she was just 13.
Moviegoers may remember Hill from her role in Sister Act II: Back in the Habit, but she also had a stint on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns (playing Kira Johnson) and played a gum-chewing elevator operator in the period drama King of the Hill, starring Jesse Bradford and Adrien Brody.
Hill wrote much of the material for her debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, while pregnant with her first child, Zion David, with Rohan Marley (Bob Marley's son). She credits the pregnancy for re-igniting her creativity: "I had the desire to write in a capacity that I hadn't done in a while. I don't know if it's a hormonal or emotional thing... I was very in touch with my feelings at the time." She added: "Every time I got hurt, every time I was disappointed, every time I learned, I just wrote a song."
Hill made the 1999 Grammy Awards a night of firsts. With her five Grammy wins for her debut album: Best New Artist, Best R&B Song, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Album and Album of the Year - she became the first woman to win five Grammy Awards in the same night, beating Carole's King's record of four. She was also the first woman to earn ten nominations in one year, and the album was the first hip-hop record to win Album of the Year.
Years before stardom came knocking, Hill featured in MC Lyte's 1991 Off-Broadway hip-hop rendering of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. She also appeared that same year as an extra in the video for the female rapper's "Poor Georgie."
The Recording Industry Association of America announced on February 16, 2021 that The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill had gone Diamond after selling over 10 million copies in the US. This meant Lauryn Hill made history as the first female rapper to achieve the feat.
A Fugees reunion planned for 2021 was scuttled, but in 2023 the group toured in support of Hill on her The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 25th Anniversary Tour. At those shows, Fugees would play some song from their catalog along with some Wyclef Jean and Pras solo tracks, then Hill would take the stage for her solo set.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

RhiannonFleetwood Mac

"Rhiannon" is a Welch goddess. Stevie Nicks wrote the song, and it was a huge influence on her image, inspiring her flowing shawls and black outfits she began wearing on stage.

We Belong TogetherMariah Carey

"We Belong Together" finds Mariah Carey listening to the radio and hearing songs that remind her of heartbreak. Two real songs get specific mentions: "If You Think You're Lonely Now" by Bobby Womack and "Two Occasions" by The Deele (Babyface's group).

PhotographEd Sheeran

Ed Sheeran thought he wrote the x track "Photograph" on 6th Street in Denver, so he got a tattoo saying 6 ST. But when he returned it turned out the street was actually 6th Avenue.

ParanoidBlack Sabbath

"Paranoid" reflects a feeling Black Sabbath bass player Geezer Butler often felt after using drugs.

Don't Let The Sun Go Down On MeElton John

Recording "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," Elton John was frustrated and sang the line "don't discard me" with an exaggerated American accent, which is why is sounds strange.