Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Noel Hill (born May 25, 1975 in South Orange, New Jersey) is an American musical artist, and record producer, initially establishing her reputation as the most visible and vocal member of the Fugees, then continued on to a solo career releasing The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Hills works primarily in the neo-soul and alternative rap styles, among other influences from reggae and folk. After a four year hiatus, she released the controversial MTV Unplugged No. 2.0; a live recording of completely original material (except for "So Much Things to Say" and "The Conquering Lion"). She soon denounced her fame and began writing more spiritually and socially conscious songs.

Hill is noted as a humanitarian, and in 1996 she received an Essence Award for work which has included the 1996 founding of the Refugee Project, an outreach organization that supports a two-week overnight camp for at-risk youth, and for supporting well-building projects in Kenya and Uganda, as well as for staging a rap concert in Harlem to promote voter registration.

In 1999's Grammy Awards, Hill was nominated eleven times and won Album of the Year (beating Madonna's critically acclaimed...