Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. She is considered one of the most influential musicians of her time. A definitive figure in neo soul and a pioneer of rap-singing and melodic rap, The Telegraph credited Hill with the popularization of hip-hop. NPR named her one of the 50 Great Voices and stated that her "voice is the story of the hip-hop generation". She was the only woman named on the lists of "Greatest MCs of All Time" (2006) by MTV and 10 Greatest Rappers by Billboard, and appeared on Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Singers and VH1's 100 Women in Music.
Hill began her career as a teen actress, portraying Kira Johnson in the soap opera As the World Turns (1991) before appearing in Steven Soderbergh's film King of the Hill (1993). She received acclaim for her role as Rita Watson in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), which featured her rendition of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow." Hill achieved prominence as the frontwoman of the Fugees. Their second album, The Score (1996), included the singles "Killing Me Softly" and "Ready or Not," and sold over 22 million copies worldwide. It won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, making Hill the first woman to receive the honor.
Her debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998), debuted atop the Billboard 200 with the highest first-week sales for a female artist at the time and became the first recording by a female rapper to be certified diamond. Its lead single "Doo Wop (That Thing)" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making Hill the first artist whose first appearance on both charts debuted at number one. The album produced several hits, including "Ex-Factor," "Everything Is Everything," and "Lost Ones." At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, Hill became the first rapper to win Album of the Year and the first woman to win five awards in a single night. It remains one of the best-selling albums worldwide and ranked atop Apple Music's 100 Best Albums. Afterwards, she embarked on The Miseducation Tour and became the first rapper to appear on the cover of Time.
Around this period, Hill became a noted collaborator, featuring on "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" by Nas, "Guantanamera" by Wyclef Jean with Celia Cruz, "The Sweetest Thing" by Refugee Camp All-Stars, and the virtual duet "Turn Your Lights Down Low" with Bob Marley. She wrote "A Rose Is Still a Rose" by Aretha Franklin, and produced recordings for Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, and Santana. Her live album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 (2002), featured original songs such as "I Gotta Find Peace of Mind" and "Mystery of Iniquity", the latter of which was notably interpolated on "All Falls Down" by Kanye West. In the years that followed, Hill made fewer public appearances while occasionally releasing acclaimed music like the Black Lives Matter protest song "Black Rage" and the Nas collaboration "Nobody".
Hill is the recipient of numerous accolades including eight Grammy Awards (the most for any female rapper), the inaugural BET Living Legend Icon Award, the ASCAP Golden Note Award, four NAACP Image Awards (including the President's Award), and six MTV Video Music Awards (including Video of the Year), with inductions into the Grammy Hall of Fame, the National Recording Registry, and the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame. She is one of the highest-grossing rappers in live music. In 2026, she was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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