Lauryn Hill Biography

Lauryn Hill was born on 26 May 1975, in Newark, New Jersey, USA, to Valerie and Mal Hill. Her father was a computer and management consultant and her mother used to teach English at a school. She belonged to a middle-class household.

She grew up amidst a musically oriented family; her mother played the piano, while her father sang. Her father used to sing in local clubs and at weddings. Hill became popular at her school for her singing talent.

She went to ‘Columbia High School,’ where she was a cheerleader. She learnt to play the violin, and was part of the school’s gospel choir. She then formed a music group with Pras Michel and they were later joined by Michel’s cousin Wyclef Jean.

Initially called ‘Translator Crew,’ the group performed in local shows and high school talent shows. Hill started as a singer and later learnt to rap as well. She also took acting lessons in Manhattan.

In 1991, Hill made her first appearance in an Off-Broadway called ‘Club XII,’ which was a hip-hop version of Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night.’ She was noticed by an agent, and soon landed a recurring role in the soap opera ‘As the World Turns.’

�In 1993, Hill appeared in the musical comedy film ‘Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit’ alongside Whoopi Goldberg. In the film, she performed two songs: ‘His Eye Is on the Sparrow’ and ‘Joyful, Joyful.’ She also appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s ‘King of the Hill.’

In 1994, after changing their band’s name from ‘Translator Crew’ to ‘Fugees,’ they released their album ‘Blunted on Reality.’ Although the album was not a commercial success, Hill gained a lot of popularity for her ‘rapsy alto voice.’

In 1996, the band’s second album ‘The Score’ was released. It peaked at No. 1 on the ‘U.S. Billboard 200.’ It won the ‘Gammy’ for ‘Best Rap Album.’ The single ‘Killing Me Softly’ won the ‘Grammy’ for ‘Best R&B Performance by a Duo.’

In the same year, Hill founded the ‘Refugee Project,’ a non-profit organization aimed at bringing changes to the lifestyle of troubled urban youth. She also raised money for Haitian refugees.

In 1997, Hill left ‘The Fugees’ to work on her solo projects. She also appeared in movies like ‘Hav Plenty’ and ‘Restaurant.’ She recorded her first solo album ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.’

In 1998, ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ was released. The album was nominated for 10 ‘Grammy Awards.’ Apart from the songs from her album, her song ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ from the movie ‘Conspiracy Theory’ was also nominated.

In 2001, after a long gap in her music career and staying away from the public eye, Hill came up with an album titled ‘MTV Unplugged No. 2.0.’ It received mixed response from the critics.

In 2004, she performed songs like ‘The Passion’ and ‘So High’ with John Legend. She also sold her song ‘Social Drugs’ on her website, along with her autographed posters. She performed with ‘The Fugees’ at Dave Chappelle’s ‘Block Party.’

In 2005, ‘The Fugees’ went on a European tour, but the band could not hold itself together as differences between the band members, especially Hill and Jean, resurfaced and they could not record an album.

In 2007, Hill came up with her new solo album ‘Ms. Hill,’ which included featured cuts for ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.’ The album also featured compilations which she had accumulated over the years. She also performed a song titled ‘Lose Myself’ for the movie ‘Surf’s Up.’

In 2010, Hill performed in the ‘Raggamuffin Music Festival’ and also appeared at the ‘Harmony Festival’ in Santa Rosa, California. The same year, her single ‘Repercussions’ was leaked on the internet.

In 2012, Hill performed at the ‘Warner Theater,’ Washington D.C., where she performed a new song titled ‘Fearless Vampire Killer.’ She also went on a tour called ‘Black Rage’ along with rapper Nas.

In 2013, Hill released her single ‘Neurotic Society (Compulsory Mix).’ The following year, she narrated an award-winning Swedish documentary titled ‘Concerning Violence.’

Apart from having a successful career in the music industry, Hill has also appeared in TV series and films like ‘As the World Turns,’ ‘ABC Afterschool Specials,’ ‘Restaurant,’ and ‘Hav Plenty.’

Hill’s album ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,’ which released in 1998, earned her five ‘Grammy Awards’—‘album of the year,’ ‘best new artist,’ ‘best female R&B performance,’ ‘best R&B song’ ("Doo Wop"), and ‘best R&B album.’

Hill was involved in a romantic relationship with her band mate Jean for a very long time; the relationship continued even after he got married to Claudinette. It led to the disbandment of ‘The Fugees’ as it was a turbulent relationship.

In 1996, Hill got involved in a romantic relationship with Rohan Marley—son of the legendary singer Bob Marley—and they have five children together.

In 2012, she was charged with tax evasion of about 1.8 million US dollars. By the next year, she had paid 50,000 US dollars, still owing the government 554,000 US dollars.

In 2013, she was sentenced to serve three months in prison. She was put behind the bars in May, but owing to her good behavior and lack of prior criminal record, she was released in October. She was then sentenced to a year of supervised probation, which included house arrest for three months.

Hill was offered roles in movies like ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ ‘The Bourne Identity,’ ‘The Mexican,’ ‘The Matrix Reloaded,’ and ‘The Matrix Revolutions.’ However, she turned them down.

In 2000, Hill went through a self-imposed exile to get away from all the unnecessary media attention and started associating herself with a spiritual advisor named Brother Anthony.

When she was 21, she enrolled at the ‘Columbia University’ and thought of doing a major in history. However, she dropped the idea when the sales of her album ‘The Score’ went into millions.