Lauryn Hill is a renowned American rapper, singer-songwriter, producer and actress. Born in East Orange, New Jersey, Hill got developed an interest in music at a young age thanks to her parents. She accelled in school and eventually formed the three person group later known as the Fugees with Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel in her freshman year of highschool.

 

Hill began her career as an actress, first appearing in the soap opera As the World Turns in 1991. That said, it was her role in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit that brought her more attention. 

 

The Fugees signed on with Columbia Records in 1993 and released their debut album, Blunted on Reality, in 1994. Despite its poor performance the group’s second 1996 studio album The Score peaked at the No. 1 spot on the U.S. Billboard 200 and even sold around 27 million copies combined globally. 

 

Hill stayed with the group until they broke up in 1997 to work on their individual projects. Hill’s first solo studio album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill released and ultimately sold over 30 million copies globally.

 

Despite her success, the fame led to Hill dropping completely out of the public eye in 2000, before briefly resurfacing to perform an MTV Unplugged special. The tapping of that performance became her first live album, and was released in 2002.

 

Since then, Hill has occasionally released singles with her as a lead artist and in collaboration with other artists like Pusha T and Teyana Taylor. In addition to eight Grammy Awards, Hill has won six MTV Video Music Awards four NAACP Image Awards, four Guinness World Records, three American Music Awards and received Golden Note Award from American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).