Lauryn Hill is 47 years old today.
A singer–songwriter, rapper, producer and actress, Hill is best known for being a member of the Fugees and for her solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
Raised in South Orange, New Jersey, Hill began singing with her music-oriented family during her childhood. She enjoyed success as an actress at an early age, appearing in a recurring role on the television soap opera, As the World Turns, and starring in the film, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
In high school, Hill was approached by Pras Michel to start a band, which his cousin, Wyclef Jean, soon joined. They renamed themselves the Fugees and released two studio albums, Blunted on Reality (1994) and The Score (1996), which sold six million copies in the United States.
In the latter record, Hill rose to prominence with her African-American and Caribbean music influences, her rapping and singing and a rendition of the hit "Killing Me Softly." Hill's tumultuous romantic relationship with Jean led to the split of the band in 1997, after which she began to focus on solo projects.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) remains Hill's only solo studio album. It received massive critical acclaim, showcasing a representation of life and relationships and locating a contemporary womanist voice within the neo soul genre.
The album debuted at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and has sold approximately eight million copies there. It included the singles "Doo Wop (That Thing)" (also #1), "Ex-Factor" and "Everything Is Everything."
Soon afterward, Hill dropped out of the public eye, suffering from the pressures of fame and dissatisfied with the music industry. Her last full-length recording, the new-material live album MTV Unplugged #2 (2001), sharply divided critics and sold poorly compared to her previous work.
Hill's subsequent activity, which includes the release of a few songs and occasional festival appearances, has been sporadic and erratic. It has sometimes caused audience dissatisfaction. A reunion with her former group did not last long. Her music, as well as a series of public statements she has issued, have become critical of pop culture and societal institutions.
Hill has six children, five of whom are with Rohan Marley, son of reggae legend Bob Marley.
On May 6, 2013, Hill was sentenced by Judge Arleo to serve three months in prison for tax evasion and three months house arrest afterwards as part of a year of supervised probation. She had faced a possible sentence of as long as 36 months, and the sentence given took into account her lack of a prior criminal record and her six minor-aged children.
By this point, Hill had fully paid back $970,000 in back taxes and penalties she owed, which also took into account an additional $500,000 that Hill had in unreported income for 2008 and 2009.
In the courtroom, Hill said that she had lived "very modestly" considering how much money she had made for others, and that "I am a child of former slaves who had a system imposed on them. I had an economic system imposed on me."
Hill reported to the minimum-security Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury on July 8, 2013, to begin serving her sentence. She was released from prison on October 4, 2013, a few days early for good behavior, and began her home confinement and probationary periods.
She put out a single called "Consumerism" that she had finished, via verbal and e-mailed instructions, while incarcerated.
Judge Arleo allowed her to postpone part of her confinement in order to tour in late 2013 under strict conditions. During 2014, Hill was heard as the narrator of Concerning Violence, an award-winning Swedish documentary on the African liberation struggles of the 1960s and 1970s. She also continued to draw media attention for her erratic behavior, appearing late twice in the same day for sets at Voodoo Fest in November 2014.
In May 2015, Hill canceled her scheduled concert in Israel following a social media campaign from activists promoting a cultural boycott.