Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is best known for being a member of the Fugees and for her critically acclaimed solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which won numerous awards and broke several sales records.

Raised mostly in South Orange, New Jersey, Hill began singing with her music-oriented family during her childhood. She enjoyed success as an actress at an early age, with her older brother Graham Hill, appearing in a recurring role on the television soap opera As the World Turns and starring in the 1993 film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. In high school, Hill was approached by Pras Michel to start a band, which his cousin, Wyclef Jean, soon joined. They renamed themselves the Fugees and released the albums Blunted on Reality (1994) and the Grammy Award-winning The Score (1996). In the latter record, which sold six million copies in the United States, Hill rose to prominence with her African-American and Caribbean music influences, her rapping and singing, and her rendition of the hit “Killing Me Softly”. Hill’s tumultuous romantic relationship with Jean led to the split of the band in 1997, after which she began to focus on solo projects.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) remains Hill’s only solo studio album. It received massive critical acclaim, showcasing a representation of life and relationships and locating a contemporary womanist voice within the neo soul genre. The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and has sold approximately eight million copies there. It included the singles “Doo Wop (That Thing)” (also a number one), “Ex-Factor” (became her biggest solo hit in UK), and “Everything Is Everything”. At the 41st Grammy Awards, the record earned her five awards, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. During this time she won numerous other awards and became a common sight on the cover of magazines.

Soon afterward, Hill dropped out of the public eye, dissatisfied with the music industry and suffering with the pressures of fame. Her last full-length recording, the new-material live album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 (2002), sharply divided critics and sold poorly compared to her first album and work with the Fugees. Hill’s subsequent activity, which includes the release of a few songs and occasional festival appearances, has been sporadic and erratic. Her behavior has sometimes caused audience dissatisfaction; a reunion with her former group did not last long. Her music, as well as a series of public statements she has issued, has become critical of pop culture and societal institutions. Hill has six children, five of whom are with Rohan Marley, son of reggae legend Bob Marley. In 2012, she pleaded guilty to tax evasion for failure to pay federal income taxes, and in 2013, served a three-month prison sentence.

In May 2015, Hill canceled her scheduled concert outside Tel Aviv in Israel following a social media campaign from activists promoting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. She said she had wanted to also perform a show in Ramallah in the West Bank but logistical problems had proved too great. Hill stated: “It is very important to me that my presence or message not be misconstrued, or a source of alienation to either my Israeli or my Palestinian fans.”

Hill contributed her voice to the soundtrack for What Happened, Miss Simone?, a 2015 documentary about the life of Nina Simone, an American singer, pianist, and civil rights activist. Hill was originally supposed to record only two songs for the record, but ended up recording six. She also served as a producer on the comp alongside Robert Glasper. Hill said of her connection to Simone: “Because I fed on this music … I believed I always had a right to have a voice. Her example is clearly a form of sustenance to a generation needing to find theirs. What a gift.” NPR critically praised Hill’s performance on the soundtrack, stating: “This album mainly showcases Lauryn Hill’s breadth and dexterity. Not formally marketed as Hill’s comeback album, her six tracks here make this her most comprehensive set of studio recordings since The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1998.”

In April 2016, Hill hosted and headlined what was billed as the inaugural Diaspora Calling! festival at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn. The festival’s purpose was to showcase the efforts of musicians and artists from around the African diaspora. But the following month, Hill was approximately 1 hour late (not 2 hours and 20 minutes as previously reported) for her show at the Chastain Park Amphitheater in Atlanta. Moments after the less than 90 minute show ended, she said her driver had gotten lost and she could not help that. Less than 48 hours later, after a large backlash from her fans on Twitter, she took to her Facebook page and stated she was late for the concert because of certain needs, including her need to “align her energies.”

Lauryn Hill’s work continues to inspire rappers and can still be seen sampled in Hip Hop today. In 2018, Hill was sampled on Cardi B’s “Be Careful”, Drake’s “Nice for what”, and A$AP Rocky’s “Purity”. Kanye West has mentioned Lauryn Hill in a couple of his songs. In Kanye West’s song “Champion”, released in 2007, he says “Lauryn Hill said her heart was in Zion, I wish her heart still was in rhymin”. Zion is Hill’s son first born, who she sings about in “To Zion” Kanye also talks about Hill in his song released in 2016, “No More parties in LA”. He states “I was uninspired since Lauryn Hill retired” This is referring to Hill not releasing any new music since 2013.

Other samples of Lauryn Hill’s work come from artists such as J Cole, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and Kanye West. J Cole samples Hill’s “Nothing Even Matters” and “To Zion” in his song “Cole Summer”. A Boogie samples a few Hill songs including “Ex-Factor” in his song of the same name as well as in a remix of Drake’s “Nice for What”. Kanye famously samples Hill in “All Falls Down” where he samples “Mystery of Iniquity”.