Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Noel Hill-Marley (born May 25, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, arranger, actress and mother. She initially established her reputation as the most visible and vocal member of The Fugees. On August 25, 1998 she launched her solo career by releasing the critically lauded album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, bringing the then-emerging neo-soul genre to a wider commercial platform. After a four year hiatus, she released the controversial MTV Unplugged No. 2.0; a live album of completely original material (except for So Much Things to Say and The Conquering Lion). She has won eight Grammy Awards and is the mother of four children with Rohan Marley, the seventh son of reggae legend Bob Marley.

Lauryn Hill was born in South Orange, New Jersey. She attended Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, along with Scrubs star Zach Braff. Hill was an active student, cheerleader, and performer. She began her acting career very early. In 1988, 13-year old Hill appeared as an Amateur Night contestant on It's Showtime at the Apollo. Hill sang her own version of William "Smokey" Robinson's song "Who's Lovin' You?". A young Hill sung too far away from the mic and was booed at first, but Hill grabbed the microphone continued the song and her performance ended with the audiences standing ovation.

Hill appeared on the soap opera As The World Turns as Kira Johnson. In December 1993, she starred with Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act 2. In the film, she performed the songs "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" (a duet with Tanya Blount) and "Joyful, Joyful". It was in this role, as Rita, that she first came to national prominence, with Roger Ebert calling her "the girl with the big joyful voice". Although Sister Act I and II were originally conceived as vehicles for comedian Whoopi Goldberg, the second installment won Lauryn equal notice.

Her other acting work includes the play Club XII with MC Lyte, and the motion pictures King of the Hill (as Arletta the Elevator Operator), Hav Plenty (1997), and Restaurant (1998).

The Refugee Camp ("Fugees") formed after Prakazrel "Pras" Michel approached Hill in high school about joining a music group he was creating. Soon after, she met Pras' cousin and fellow Haïtian immigrant, Wyclef Jean. At some point, Hill was given the nickname "L Boogie," as she began to convert her poetic writing into rap verses.

Lauryn Hill's musical influences include Bob Marley, The Doors, Carlos Santana, and Jose Feliciano, and she tries to influence her music with a mix of her favorite artists' eclectic array of styles.

Hill's singing gained worldwide acclaim with the Fugees' remake of "Killing Me Softly With His Song", accompanied by a sample from A Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum".

Discography: