Ms. Lauryn Hill is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actress from East Orange, United States. She is known for blending rap with melodic vocals and for helping bring hip hop and neo soul into the mainstream. Her genres are listed as alternative hip hop, contemporary R&B, hip hop and neo soul.

Career

Hill begins as a teen actress, appearing in As the World Turns and Steven Soderbergh’s King of the Hill in 1993. She also appears in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit as Rita, a role that brings her wider attention.

She rises to prominence as the frontwoman of the Fugees, formed in 1990 with Wyclef Jean and Pras. The group’s second album, The Score, reaches number one on the Billboard 200 and makes her the first woman to win a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The album includes “Killing Me Softly” and “Ready or Not”. In 1996 she also guests on Nas’ “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)”.

Solo work

Her debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, becomes the first album by a female rapper to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Its lead single, “Doo Wop (That Thing)”, also debuts at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first artist to open at number one on both charts with first entries. The album also produces “Ex-Factor”, “Nothing Even Matters” and “Lost Ones”, and becomes the first recording by a female rapper to be certified diamond by the RIAA. At the 41st Grammy Awards, Hill becomes the first rapper to win Album of the Year. The album remains one of the best-selling albums worldwide and tops Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums list.

In 1999, she becomes the first rapper to appear on the cover of Time. That year she also records “Turn Your Lights Down Low” with Bob Marley, which reaches the international top ten. Her live album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 follows in 2002, debuting in the Billboard 200 top five and earning platinum certification and a Grammy nomination.

Collaborations and production

Hill continues to work with other artists, including John Legend and Nas on tracks such as “So High (remix)” and “Nobody”. She also produces and writes for Whitney Houston, CeCe Winans, Mary J. Blige and Aretha Franklin. Her work on Franklin’s “A Rose Is Still a Rose” gives Franklin a Top 40 hit and becomes her final signature song. Hill co-produces Santana’s album Supernatural, which wins Album of the Year at the Grammys.

Recognition

Hill receives eight Grammy Awards, the most won by any female rapper. She is named one of NPR’s 50 Great Voices and one of Rolling Stone’s 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. Billboard names her the greatest female rapper in 2015. Her wider honours include the ASCAP Golden Note Award, the NAACP President’s Award, two inductions into the Grammy Hall of Fame, inclusion in the National Recording Registry and recognition on the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Associated acts

Her associated acts include Fugees, Da Ladies, The Tranzlator Crew and Guantanamo Camp. She is also linked to Observe Creation, Inc. as a label.