Lauryn Hill Buying Guide
Lauryn Hill 
was born in South Orange, New Jersey on May 25, 1975.
Music was a central part of Hill's childhood for she was raised on music of the 1960s. She was greatly influenced by the sound of Motown. In fact, at just 13, Hill was an Amateur Night contestant on It's Showtime at the Apollo and her song of choice was the Smokey Robinson classic "Who's Lovin' You. " Although she didn't win, that didn't stop Hill from eventuallly going on to becoming a superstar.
Hill's went on to join the hip-hop trio, The Fugees. Hill along with Prakazrel "Pras" Michel and musician Wyclef Jean, changed the image of hip-hop with their sophisticated style, their sound, and more importantly, with their collective skills as emcees and musicians. Hill's lyrical prowess not only made her a standout on songs like "Vocab" and "Fu-Gee-La, " but her melodic voice on their classic reworking of Robert Flack's "Killing Me Softly" made Hill perhaps the first hip-hop artist who was equally gifted both as a singer and emcee.
Hill went on to release her first solo album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, " in 1998. The album was a phenomenal success and it would mark the beginning of many "firsts" for Lauryn Hill; In 1999, she became the first female artist to receive ten Grammy Award nominations; she was the first female artist to win five Grammy Awards in one night, including Best New Artist and Album of the Year.
At present, this album has sold nearly 20 million copies worldwide, making Lauryn Hill one of the most successful recording artists of our time. She has influenced a host of new young artists like Chrisette Michele and Alicia Keys just to name a few.
Discography
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The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill This 1998 solo debut has garnered numerous awards and critical acclaim for Hill and those praises are well deserved. Songs like "Ex-Factor, " "Doo Wop (That Thing)" and "Everything is Everything" all make this album a genuine classic. |
The Best Man Soundtrack This wonderful soundtrack has some of the hottest artists in the world of R&B and hip-hop, including Maxwell ("Let's Not Play the Game" ) and Lauryn Hill ("Turn Your Lights Down Low" ). Hill transforms the reggae classic into a sensuous duet with none other than the late great Bob Marley. |
MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 Recorded nearly three years since her solo debut and released in 2002, Lauryn Hill took a huge departure from what became her signature sound and image to give us perhaps her most personal album to date. "Fantasy is what people want, but reality is what they need," she said during the Unplugged performance. "I’ve just retired from the fantasy part." |
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Soundtrack This soundtrack has an eclectic group of reknown artists for an eclectic sound--blues, rock, jazz. Macy Gray offers a delightful cover of Billie Holiday's "I Want To Be Your Mother's Son-In-Law, " while Hill gives us raw emotion from both her vocals and guitar playing on "Selah. " |
Love Jones Soundtrack Released in 1997, this wonderful soundtrack may have a hodgepodge of "who's who" in world of rock, hip-hop, R&B, and jazz, but somehow, each song compleements one another and serves as a great backdrop for the film. Hill's "The Sweetest Thing" is a romantic ode to love with a hip-hop twist, while Dionne Farris 's "Hopeless" best explains how everyone feels while in pursuit of true love. |
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Blunted on Reality This 1994 release is the debut album for the hip-hop trio, The Fugees. Each artist has gone on to have successful solo careers, however, if you want to know when it all started, just listen to classics like "Nappy Heads" and "Vocab. " |
The Score The successful 1996 follow-up to their debut album has gone on to sell over 18 million copies worldwide, which quite possibly makes this the bestselling hip-hop album of all time. With covers of Roberta Flack 's "Killing Me Softly" and Bob Marley 's "No Woman, No Cry, " it's no wonder why The Fugees have gone on to become legends in their own right. |
Refugee Camp: Bootleg Versions Also released in 1996, this contains B-sides and alternate takes on some of the already classic Fugee songs including "Vocab, " "Ready or Not, " and "Don't Cry Dry Your Eyes. " |
Fugees: Greatest Hits Just in case your one of the rare few who don't already a single Fugees ' album, this wonderful compilation is perfect for you. Released in 2003, this collection has some of the hip-hop trio's biggest hits to date--and for many of us fans, they will FINALLY reunite and make even more beautiful music together! |
One Day It'll All Make Sense Emcee/Actor Common was going through many life changes on this album. Formerly known as "Common Sense, " he just welcomed the birth of his daughter Omoye Assata Lynn in 1997 and the song "Retrospect for Life" featuring Lauryn Hill deals with his own struggles of young fatherhood and being prepared to handle its pressures. |
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