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===Singles (Solo)===
===Singles (Solo)===

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Revision as of 10:56, 23 September 2006

Lauryn Hill
File:Lahill.jpg
Lauryn Hill in recent performance in San Francisco.
Background information
Years active1991-present

Lauryn Hill (born May 25, 1975 in South Orange, New Jersey), is an eight-time Grammy award winning musician, and record producer, initially establishing her reputation as the most visible and vocal member of The Fugees, then continuing on to a solo career, releasing The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and the controversial MTV Unplugged No. 2.0.

Biography

Early career and The Fugees

Lauryn Hill attended Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey. She was an active, vocal student, a cheerleader, and a performer at several talent shows and school functions. As a child, she performed "Who's Loving You" at Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater, in which she confidently finished her song, before an initially itchy audience, to a standing ovation. Hill began an acting career very early, and her roles included the TV show As the World Turns (as Kira Johnson in 1991), and the film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. Hill performed a wedding song on an episode of the former, but it was Sister Act 2 that showcased her vocal abilities.

The Refugee Camp ("Fugees"), or Tranzlator Crew, as they were once called, formed after Prakazrel "Pras" Michel approached Hill in high school about joining a music group he was creating. Soon after, she met Pras's cousin and fellow Haïtian immigrant, Wyclef Jean. At some point, Lauryn Hill was given the alias "L Boogie," as she began to convert her poetic writing into impressive rap verses. Though the Fugees had formed in 1988, Hill's membership was somewhat disrupted by her acting and her education at Columbia University.

The Fugees' first album, Blunted on Reality, which featured the songs "Nappy Heads" and "Vocab," was much-hyped but fell short of expectations. This was followed by The Score, a multi-platinum, Grammy-winning album that established all three Fugees as international rapstars. Singles from The Score include "Ready or Not," "Fu-Gee-La," and "No Woman, No Cry." The album's most well-known song, however, is a cover of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly," which put the group in hip-hop and pop history. A versatile, urban flavor was also added to covers of Bob Marley and the Delfonics, to create songs that most consider to be hip-hop classics.

Hill's gifted voice was demonstrated in her renditions of "Joyful, Joyful" and "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" (a duet with Tanya Blout) in Sister Act 2. But her singing gained worldwide acclaim with the Fugees' remake of "Killing Me Softly," accompanied by a sample from A Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum." Since her emergence, Lauryn Hill has made her presence known as one of the few artists in the industry who can both sing and rap skillfully, and being dominant & respected in both styles.

Her other acting work includes the film King of the Hill (as Arletta the Elevator Operator), the play Club XII with MC Lyte, and the motion pictures Hav Plenty (1997) and Restaurant (1998). She appeared as a singer on the soundtracks for Conspiracy Theory in 1997 (on the track "Can't Take My Eyes Off You") and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood in 2002 (on the track "Selah," a song dedicated to her second child, daughter Selah).

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

The Miseducation (1998)

In 1998, Hill released The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, a commercially successful album that was also one of the more critically acclaimed releases of the 1990s. The first single off the album was "Doo Wop (That Thing)," which debuted at number one in the United States in the summer of 1998, along with singles "Ex-factor" and "Everything Is Everything." In 1999's Grammy Awards, Hill was nominated eleven times and won Album of the Year (beating Madonna's critically acclaimed album Ray of Light), Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album, setting a new record for women in the industry.

Soon after the album became a global success, Hill and her recording company were sued by Vada Nobles, Rasheem Pugh, Johari Newton and Tejumold Newton, known as New Ark Entertainment, who claimed to have been denied full credit and compensation for their assistance on the album. Initially, Hill fought back and denied what they claimed was creative input. But the matter was settled, and they received an undisclosed amount of money and were given credit for drum programming and a small amount of lyrical, instrumental and production work.

Self-imposed exile and MTV Unplugged

File:Laurynhillunplugged.jpg
MTV Unplugged (2002)

In July 2001, Lauryn Hill unveiled her highly-anticipated new material on an MTV Unplugged special. Fans had waited three years for Hill's follow-up to the critical and commercial smash hit, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Those fans who were selected as audience members for the MTV filming had high expectations for the former Fugees frontwoman. What they got was a display by an almost unrecognizable Hill, who had recently cut off her hair and wore plain clothing. The 2002 MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 album exhibited a different side of Hill, as she focused more on the lyrics and the message she was spreading rather than the musical arrangements.

“Fantasy is what people want, but reality is what they need,” she said during the concert. “I’ve just retired from the fantasy part.”

Most of the songs featured only an acoustic guitar and her voice, somewhat raspy from rehearsal on the day before the recording. Hill used the set as an opportunity to give information on why she had been absent from the public for a period of time and what she found while away. The album was released to mixed reviews. While some critics praised Hill's passion, brilliance, and honesty, others called the album's songs "unlistenable". Most considered the album either "tragic" or "inspiring". Nonetheless, the album received platinum status.

Despite Hill's intentional departure from the media and celebrity, Hill continued to create commercially and critically successful music. Her song Mystery of Iniquity was nominated for a Grammy without promotion or radio airplay and used as an interpolation by hip-hop mega-producer Kanye West for his single All Falls Down (eventually recorded by Syleena Johnson). John Legend, who played piano on Everything is Everything, collaborated with Hill on the Grammy-nominated remix of So High. Talib Kweli (solo emcee and a member of the groups Black Star and Reflection Eternal) dedicated a song entitled Ms. Hill to her, rapping reverently that "you give us hope, you give us faith, you're the one". Artists and former collaborators such as Common still include Ms. Hill in their album thank you's and dedications.

In the months and years after the release of her debut album, Hill became increasingly disaffected with the music industry. In the February 2006 issue of Essence Magazine, Hill describes this time in her life: "For two or three years I was away from all social interaction. It was a very introspective time because I had to confront my fears and master every demonic thought about inferiority, about insecurity or the fear of being Black, young and gifted in this western culture. It took a considerable amount of courage, faith and risk to gain the confidence to be myself. I had to deal with folks who weren’t happy about that. I was a young woman with an evolved mind who was not afraid of her beauty or her sexuality. For some people that’s uncomfortable. They didn’t understand how female and strong work together. Or young and wise. Or Black and divine." During this time, Hill abandoned celebrity and stopped doing interviews. She stopped watching television and listening to music and explored alternate methods of expressing herself, including creating and writing a considerable amount of music, poetry, screenplays, clothing designs, etc. Hill said:

"People need to understand that the Lauryn Hill they were exposed to in the beginning was all that was allowed in that arena at that time. There was much more strength, spirit and passion, desire, curiosity, ambition and opinion that was not allowed in a small space designed for consumer mass appeal and dictated by very limited standards. I had to step away when I realized that for the sake of the machine, I was being way too compromised. I felt uncomfortable about having to smile in someone’s face when I really didn’t like them or even know them well enough to like them."

and went on to say;

"I had to fight for an identity that doesn’t fit in one of their boxes. I’m a whole woman. And when I can’t be whole, I have a problem. By the end I was like, “I’ve got to get out of here.”

Humanitarianism, Activism, and Controversy

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 Hill received three awards at the 30th Annual NAACP Image Awards. In 1999 Ebony magazine named her one of "100+ Most Influential Black Americans". She was named with Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. and others among the "10 For Tomorrow," in the EBONY 2000: Special Millennium Issue.


On December 13, 2003, Hill shocked officials at the Vatican by denouncing "corruption, exploitation, and abuses", in reference to the child molestation of boys by Catholic officials in the United States of America and the cover-up of offenses by Catholic Church officials. Hill told the crowd of 7,000:

"I am not here to celebrate with you the birth of Christ. Instead I ask you why you are not in mourning for him in this place? I understand what I say may offend some of you. I want to ask you, what have you got to say about the lives you have broken? What about the families who were expecting God and instead were cheated by the Devil? Who feels sorry for them, the men, women and children damaged psychologically, emotionally and mentally by the sexual perversions and abuse carried out by the people they believed in? Holy God is a witness to the corruption of your leadership, of the exploitation and abuses which are the minimum that can be said for the clergy. There is no acceptable excuse to defend the church." Hill called on the church leaders to "repent" and encouraged the crowd to "not seek blessings from man but from God" [1]

There was silence for several minutes from the audience as many could not speak English. There were cries of "Enough" and "Shame" from those who understood while others whistled and clapped before she picked up her guitar and performed two songs - aptly entitled "Damnable Heresies" and "Social Drugs". After her performance her comments were translated for Cardinal Camillo Ruini, head of the Italian Bishops Conference, who was sitting in the front row - and he walked out in protest. Among those in attendance were Edmund Cardinal Szoka, American-born President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City, and President of the Governorate of Vatican City. The segment was cut from the television broadcast by the Church.

The global response Hill received was varied. Monsignor Rino Fisichella, one of the organisers of the traditional concert, said: "It was in poor taste and very bad mannered. It showed a complete lack of respect for her invitation and for the place where she had been invited to perform", while the Catholic League responded by calling Hill "pathologically miserable". [2] But many bloggers believed what she said was true and praised her courageousness.

Hill's only official response to the church, while returning to New York, was: "What I said was the truth. Is telling the truth bad manners? What I asked was the church to repent for what has happened." [3]

Return of The Fugees

In an emotional reunion, the fugees performed on September 18, 2004 at Dave Chappelle's Block Party in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. They headlined a bill that included a star-studded cast of hip hop celebrities. The concert received many positive reviews, most of which praised Hill's nearly a cappella rendition of "Killing Me Softly". The block party was recorded and directed by Michel Gondry and released on March 3, 2006 to movie theatres.

The Fugees also appeared at BET's 2005 Music Awards on June 28, 2005, opening the show with a twelve minute set.

A new album is in the works. One track, "Take It Easy", was leaked online and therefore was released as a single on the Internet on September 27, 2005. It peaked at #40 on the Billboard R&B Chart. However, the track was also met with a muted antipathy, and prompted The Village Voice to say, "Turns out that a Fugees reunion wasn't really what anyone was waiting for; we just wanted Lauryn to start rapping again." [4]

The Fugees embarked on a European tour from November 30, 2005 through December 20, 2005. The group played Austria, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, Belgium, Italy, France, England, Ireland and Switzerland. The tour received excellent fan reviews. Also, the tour proved the Fugees could function again as a unit.

On February 6, 2006, the Fugees did a special "Reunion Concert" in Hollywood, California, that was offered as a live webcast on the Verizon Wireless website. The Fugees have been featured in numerous Verizon Wireless VCast advertisements in magazines and TV commercials. A new song titled "Foxy" was made available on VCast. Also recently, a third new song has been leaked, unofficially titled "Wannabe," which uses the same hook as the Michael Jackson song "I Wanna Be Where You Are".

However, in recent interviews Pras has dismissed the leaked songs, stating that they were throwaways that the band recorded while in search of a new vibe.

Projects

Hill is reportedly working on her own Album, with some reports of a great quantity and great quality of music. The Wailers are reported to be on the album. John Legend has reportedly recorded two songs with Hill, including a remix of his song So High, which was nominated for a Grammy, and one for his upcoming Album. Hill was reportedly wrapping up a project entitled "Khulami Phase" over 2 years ago but nothing is official.

Also, a 2005 summer tour in Europe, and several summer 2006 public rehearsals in California point toward a future solo music career.

Ms. Hill has supposedly completed work on her second studio album. However, online-chat states that Columbia, her record label, is refusing to release it. A petition [5] is currently being circulated online by fans, hoping to persuade Columbia to release the album, which they have deemed not "radio friendly" and not the same as the commercially successful "The Miseducation", yet insiders who claim to have listened to the new album said it is "brilliant", "genius" and called it a "Masterpiece" .

Personal

Since 1996 Hill has been in a relationship with former University of Miami football linebacker Rohan Marley (son of the late reggae music icon Bob Marley). Though she refers to Marley as her husband, it has not been confirmed publicly that they are legally married. According to a October 2003 Rolling Stone Magazine article by Touré, Marley never divorced his first wife, whom he married while a sophomore at the University of Miami. [6] However, in the summer of 2005, Trace magazine interviewed Lauryn Hill herself, Rohan Marley said none of this was true and that many lies had been written about them [7]

Together they have four children: son, Zion David born 4 August 1997; daughter, Selah Louise born 12 September 1998; son, Joshua born January 2002 [8] and son, John born summer 2003 [9].

She has written songs about her two eldest children (Zion and Selah). "To Zion" featured on her first solo effort, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" in 1998. "Selah" featured on the "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" soundtrack in 2002 [10]

Hill was a childhood friend of actor Zach Braff, who also graduated from Columbia High School the same year as Hill. Braff mentions that Hill went to his bar Mitzvah and was his partner in a traditional game of "coke and pepsi".[11].

On recent news, Hill has reportedly been leasing space in a 1920s warehouse that has been turned into live-work lofts. The rent is $3,000 a month[12]

Discography

Albums with The Fugees

Singles with The Fugees

Year Title Chart positions Album
US Hot 100 US R&B/Hip-Hop UK Singles Chart
1994 "Boof Baf" - - - Blunted on Reality
1994 "Nappy Heads" #49 #12 - Blunted on Reality
1994 "Vocab" - - - Blunted on Reality
1995 "Fu-Gee-La" #29 #13 #21 The Score
1996 "Killing Me Softly" #2 - #1 The Score
1996 "Ready or Not" - - #1 The Score
1996 "No Woman, No Cry" (with Stephen Marley) - - #2 The Score
1997 "Rumble in the Jungle" (feat. A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes & John Forté) - - #3 When We Were Kings Original Soundtrack
2005 "Take It Easy" - #40 - Reconciliation

Albums (Solo)

Album cover Album information
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
  • Released: August 25, 1998
  • Chart Positions: #1 U.S., #2 U.K.
  • Platinum: 8x
  • WW Sales: 16 million
File:Laurynhillunplugged.jpg
 MTV Unplugged 2.0
  • Released: May 7, 2002
  • Chart Positions: #2 U.S.
  • Platinum: 1x
Proposed Album release TBA

Singles (Solo)

Year Title Chart Positions Album
US Hot 100 US R&B/Hip-Hop US Rap UK Singles Chart
1997 "The Sweetest Thing" - - - - Love Jones SDTK
1998 "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" - - - - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
1998 "Doo Wop (That Thing)" #1 #2 #1 #3 The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
1999 "Ex-Factor" #21 #7 - #4 The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
1999 "Everything Is Everything" #35 #14 - #19 The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
1999 "To Zion" - #77 - - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
1999 "Nothing Even Matters" - #25 - - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
1999 "Turn Your Lights Down Low"
(with Bob Marley) 		- - - - '"Chant Down Babylon"'
2000 "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" - #45 - - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
2002 "Selah" - - - - Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood SDTK
2002 "Mr. Intentional" - - - - MTV Unplugged No. 2.0
2005 "So High"
(with John Legend) 		- #53 - - Get Lifted

Sound samples

References

  1. ^ http://www.snapnetwork.org/news/vatican/lauryn_hill_vatican.htm
  2. ^ http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46&aid=57677
  3. ^ http://www.snapnetwork.org/news/vatican/lauryn_hill_vatican.htm
  4. ^ The Fugees: Reunited and Not Very Good Tom Breihan, Villagevoice.com, September 26, 2005
  5. ^ http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/laurynhill/ petition
  6. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5940100/the_mystery_of_lauryn_hill
  7. ^ http://webuser.fh-furtwangen.de/~krapf/fugees-online/special_interview_trace.htm
  8. ^ http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1264/is_3_33/ai_87741110/pg_5
  9. ^ http://www.myspace.com/laurynhill
  10. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279778/fullcredits
  11. ^ http://www.pr-inside.com/rss/braff-lauryn-hill-was-my-coke-and-pepsi-partner-r15839.htm
  12. ^ http://www.latimes.com/news/local/valley/la-re-hotprop13aug13,1,3232238.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

External links

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