Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American rapper, singer, actress, songwriter, and record producer. She is recognized by music critics as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation.^[2] Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the mainstream success of both hip-hop and neo soul, and blending rap with melodic vocals. She has been honored as one of the 50 Great Voices by NPR, and one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone. In 2015, Billboard named her the greatest female rapper, and in 2024, Apple music voted the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the greatest album of all time, while Michael Jackson's, Thriller, placed second. Among her accolades are eight Grammy Awards—the most for any female rapper.

Hill began her career as a teen actress, appearing in As the World Turns (1991) and Steven Soderbergh's drama film King of the Hill (1993). Her performance as Rita in the film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) earned widespread praise.^[3] Hill gained further prominence as the frontwoman of the Fugees, which she formed in 1990 with Wyclef Jean and Pras. Their second album, The Score (1996), topped the Billboard 200 and made Hill the first woman to win a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The album featured the hit single "Killing Me Softly", which became the best-selling single of 1996 in multiple regions, including the UK. Its popularity was so immense that it was pulled from stores to prioritize the release of the album's next single, "Ready or Not". That same year, she guest appeared on Nas' single "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)".

Her debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998), became the first album by a female rapper to debut atop the Billboard 200. Along with critical acclaim, its lead single, "Doo Wop (That Thing)", debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, making Hill the first artist to do so on both charts with their first entries.^[4]The Miseducation became the first recording by a female rapper to become diamond certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned three hit songs: "Ex-Factor", "Nothing Even Matters", and "Lost Ones". At the 41st Grammy Awards, she became the first rapper to win Album of the Year. The album remains one of the best-selling albums worldwide and topped Apple Music's 100 Best Albums in history list.^[5]

In 1999, Hill became the first rapper to appear on the cover of Time. Later that year, her duet with Bob Marley, "Turn Your Lights Down Low", entered several international music charts. In 2002, Hill's Grammy-nominated live album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0, peaked within the Billboard 200's top five and received platinum certification. In the years following, she collaborated with John Legend and Nas on songs like "So High (remix)" and "Nobody", while also remaining an active touring artist. Billboard ranks her as the second highest-grossing female rapper in live music history.^[6]

Hill has contributed as a producer and songwriter to projects by Whitney Houston, CeCe Winans, and her son YG Marley, as well as Mary J. Blige's "All That I Can Say" and Aretha Franklin's "A Rose Is Still a Rose", a top 40 hit that became Franklin's final signature song. She also co-produced Santana's album Supernatural (1999), for which she won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. She has been recognized with honors including the ASCAP Golden Note Award, the NAACP President's Award,^[7] and inductions into the Grammy Hall of Fame (twice), the National Recording Registry, and the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.