This female, former Fugee has given most male rappers a run for their money. At just 36 years old and with one solo studio album and five Grammys, Lauryn Hill has accomplished more in a short time than most musicians accomplish in their entire careers.
Being a woman in a male-dominated game looked like child’s-play to Hill; before her solo success, she was a member of the Grammy-award winning group, The Fugees. Comprised of Wyclef Jean, Pras and Hill, the group came to prominence with their second and final, diamond-selling album, The Score. The group oozed eclecticism and musicianship, garnering praise from a worldwide audience that was smitten right from the start with the Boho-inspired, grainy-souled voice of Hill.
In July of 1998, Hill made her solo debut with the release of her first single “Doo Wop (That Thing)”, which became an international hit, and even came with a memorable video. The album also included mega-hits like “Ex Factor” and the Hip-Hop heavy “Final Hour”, with its fine display of her incomparable MC skills.
After the success of her debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she followed up four years later with MTV Unplugged No. 2.0, a live album that still finds popularity to this day. Though personal and family life has limited Hill from releasing new material, she still sells out shows and finds happiness in the fans’ anticipation of her new music.
Lauryn Hill made a triumphant East Coast return at 2011’s Rock The Bells concert on Governors Island in New York, delivering a praise-worthy performance less than two weeks after delivering her sixth child. Whether its her quirky style, menacing mic-attack, or the way she pours soul into her vocals, “Young Lauryn’s” influence on the music industry cannot be denied.
AllHipHop.com SALUTES the incomparable Lauryn Hill, as we celebrate Women’s History Month all March long!