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EspañolLAURYN HILL
'Lauryn Noel Hill-Marley' (born May 25, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, arranger, actress and mother. She initially established her reputation as the most visible and vocal member of The Fugees. On August 25, 1998 she launched her solo career by releasing the critically lauded album ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'', bringing the then-emerging neo-soul genre to a wider commercial platform. After a four year hiatus, she released the controversial ''MTV Unplugged No. 2.0''; a live album of completely original material (except for ''So Much Things to Say'' and ''The Conquering Lion''). She has won eight Grammy Awards and is the mother of four children with Rohan Marley, the seventh son of reggae legend Bob Marley.
Biography
Early life
Lauryn Hill was born in South Orange, New Jersey. She attended Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, along with Scrubs star Zach Braff. Hill was an active student, cheerleader, and performer. She began her acting career very early. In 1988, 13-year old Hill appeared as an Amateur Night contestant on ''It's Showtime at the Apollo''. Hill sang her own version of William "Smokey" Robinson's song "Who's Lovin' You?". A young Hill sung too far away from the mic and was booed at first, but Hill grabbed the microphone continued the song and her performance ended with the audience's standing ovation.
Hill appeared on the soap opera ''As The World Turns'' as Kira Johnson. In December 1993, she starred with Whoopi Goldberg in ''. In the film, she performed the songs ''"His Eye Is on the Sparrow"'' (a duet with Tanya Blount) and ''"Joyful, Joyful"''. It was in this role, as Rita, that she first came to national prominence, with Roger Ebert calling her "the girl with the big joyful voice". Although Sister Act I and II were originally conceived as vehicles for comedian Whoopi Goldberg, the second installment won Lauryn equal notice.
Her other acting work includes the play ''Club XII'' with MC Lyte, and the motion pictures ''King of the Hill'' (as Arletta the Elevator Operator), ''Hav Plenty'' (1997), and ''Restaurant'' (1998).
Musical career beginnings: The Fugees
The Refugee Camp ("Fugees") formed after Prakazrel "Pras" Michel approached Hill in high school about joining a music group he was creating. Soon after, she met Pras' cousin and fellow Haïtian immigrant, Wyclef Jean. At some point, Hill was given the nickname "''L Boogie''," as she began to convert her poetic writing into rap verses.
Lauryn Hill's musical influences include Bob Marley, The Doors, Carlos Santana, and Jose Feliciano, and she tries to influence her music with a mix of her favorite artists' eclectic array of styles.
Hill's singing gained worldwide acclaim with the Fugees' remake of "Killing Me Softly With His Song", accompanied by a sample from A Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum".
Marriage and children
Since 1996 Hill has been in a relationship with 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'' article by Touré, Marley never divorced his first wife, whom he married while a sophomore at the University of Miami.[1] However, in the summer of 2005, ''Trace'' magazine interviewed Mr. Marley where he said none of this was true and that many lies had been written about them.[2]
Together they have four children: son Zion David Hill-Marley (3 August 1997); daughter Selah Louise Marley (12 November 1998); son Joshua Omaru Marley (January 2002), http://www.myspace.com/laurynhill[3] and son John Marley (summer 2003).
She has written a song about her eldest son, "To Zion", found on her first solo album, ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill''. The song "Selah", the name of her daughter, is featured on the 2002 ''Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood'' soundtrack [4].
Musical career
''Blunted On Reality'' (1994)
The Fugees' first album, ''Blunted on Reality'', features the songs "Boof Baf", "Nappy Heads" and "Vocab". "Nappy Heads" peaked at #49 on the U.S Hot 100. The album sold over 2 million copies worldwide.
''The Score'' (1996)
''Blunted on Reality'' was followed by ''The Score'', a multi-platinum, Grammy-winning album that established all three Fugees as international rap stars. Singles from ''The Score'' include "Ready or Not", "Fu-Gee-La", and "No Woman, No Cry". The album's best-known song, however, is a cover of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly with His Song".
''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' (1998)
''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' (1998)
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 production 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 production work.
''MTV Unplugged No. 2.0'' (2002)
''MTV Unplugged (2002)''
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. Critical reception was mixed, but the album received platinum status.
The song "Mystery of Iniquity" was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2003 without promotion or radio airplay and was used as an interpolation by hip-hop mega-producer Kanye West for his hit-song "All Falls Down" (eventually recorded by Syleena Johnson).
''Post-Unplugged Songs and Revelations (2004-2007)''
Since the release of MTV Unplugged No. 2.0, Ms. Hill has ''officially'' released-for-sale very little music.
In January 2004 on laurynhill.com she released a video of herself in the studio performing the song, "Social Drugs". It could be purchased for US$15 [1].
She then released a song on the 2004 soundtrack, titled "The Passion".
In 2005 she collaborated with John Legend on the Grammy-nominated song, "So High (Cloud 9 Remix)".
She rapped on Joss Stone's song, "Music", off of 2007's Introducing Joss Stone.[5]
Joss was so insistent in working with Hill that she called Hill's mother to get Lauryn to work with her. Stone stated about Hill: ''"...I've wanted to work with her since the first time I heard her voice. It's a dream come true for me — a goal I can mark off my list. I love her so much, and she's just so talented...."''
In June 2007 Lauryn released a ''new'' song on the Surf's Up (film) soundtrack, titled Lose Myself.
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 other methods of expressing herself, including creating and writing an extensive 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''.http://www.essence.com/essence/themix/entertainment/0,16109,1149478,00.html# |
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''. |
Short-lived return of The Fugees (2004-2007)
In one of the most momentous reunions in hip-hop history, 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 in movie theaters.
On June 28, 2005, The Fugees appeared at the BET Music Awards in Los Angeles, where they opened the show with a 12-minute set.
One new track, "Take It Easy", was leaked online and released as a single on September 27, 2005. It peaked at #40 on the ''Billboard'' R&B Chart. The song was not without its critics, ''The Village Voice'' said "Turns out that a Fugees reunion wasn't really what anyone was waiting for; we just wanted Lauryn to start rapping again."[6]
The Fugees embarked on a European tour from November 30, 2005 through December 20, 2005. The group played Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, Belgium, Italy, France, England, Ireland and Switzerland.
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 were featured in numerous Verizon Wireless VCast magazine and TV advertisements. A new song titled "Foxy" was made available on VCast along with a third new song titled "Wannabe", which uses the hook of the Michael Jackson song "I Wanna Be Where You Are".
In a 2007 interview though, Pras confirmed that a Fugees reunion had stopped moving and this was due to Hill having "some things she needs to deal with".[7]
Humanitarianism and Controversy
Humanitarianism
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''.
Vatican Controversy
On December 13, 2003, Hill shocked officials at a Christmas benefit concert at the Vatican by denouncing "corruption, exploitation, and abuses", in reference to the 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 sorry if I am about to offend some of you. I did not accept my invitation to celebrate with you the birth of Christ. Instead I ask you why you are not in mourning for him in this place? 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.''[8] |
Hill called on the church leaders to "repent" and encouraged the crowd to "not seek blessings from man but from God."''
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, entitled "Damnable Heresies" and "Social Drugs", both about social obligations. 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, and a full transcript of Hill's statement has yet to be released.
The global response Hill received was varied. Monsignor Rino Fisichella, one of the organizers 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".[9]
While returning to New York, Hill's only response to the press about the controversy 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."''[8]
Racist Controversy
It was alleged that Hill at one time made a statement similar to "I would rather have my children starve than have white people buy my albums." The rumor was never verified but quickly entered popular culture. MTV has publicly disclaimed the quotation, and after a discussion of the quotation on The Howard Stern Show, Hill herself called in to the show to refute it.
Former Fugee Pras Michel recounts the story; "A journalist asked Lauryn: 'How do you feel about white kids in the suburbs buying your records?' And she said, 'we don't go into the studio to make records so they sell to white people in the suburbs." However, this comment could be interpreted as Hill not considering her audience when she's creating her art. Hill has repeatedly stated in interviews that the rumor is false, that she never made such statements, and that she is in no way racist.[11]
Award history
'Grammys'
'Career Statistics'[12][13]
★ Career wins: 8
★ Career nominations: 19
| Category | Genre | Song/Album | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group' | R&B | Killing Me Softly | 1996 | 'Won' |
| 'Best Rap Album' | Rap | The Score | 1996 | 'Won' |
| 'Album of the Year' | Top | The Score | 1996 | Nominated |
| 'Best Female Pop Vocal ' | Pop | Can't Take My Eyes Off You | 1998 | Nominated |
| 'Best Female Rap Solo Performance' | Rap | Lost Ones | 1998 | Nominated |
| 'Best Female R&B Vocal Performance' | R&B | Doo Wop (That Thing) | 1998 | 'Won' |
| 'Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group' | R&B | Nothing Even Matters feat. D'Angelo | 1998 | Nominated |
| 'Best R&B Song (award goes to songwriter)' | R&B | A Rose Is Still A Rose - by Aretha Franklin | 1998 | Nominated |
| 'Best R&B Song (award goes to songwriter)' | R&B | Doo Wop (That Thing) | 1998 | 'Won' |
| 'Best R&B Album' | R&B | The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill | 1998 | 'Won' |
| 'Best Female Rap Solo Performance' | Rap | Lost Ones | 1998 | Nominated |
| 'Best New Artist' | Top | N/A | 1998 | 'Won' |
| 'Album of the Year' | Top | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | 1998 | 'Won' |
| 'Album of the Year' | Top | Supernatural | 2000 | 'Won[14]' |
| 'Best Music Video (Short Form)' | General | Everything Is Everything | 2000 | Nominated |
| 'Best R&B Song (award goes to songwriter)' | R&B | All That I Can Say - Mary J. Blige | 2000 | Nominated |
| 'Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals' | Pop | Turn Your Lights Down Low, with Bob Marley from The Best Man soundtrack | 2001 | Nominated |
| 'Best Female Rap Solo Performance ' | Rap | Mystery Of Iniquity | 2003 | Nominated |
| 'Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group' | R&B | So High, with John Legend | 2005 | Nominated |
Other awards nominated and won
As of 2006, Lauryn Hill has won over 30 awards, including eight Grammy Awards and three World best-selling Music Awards. She is first of only seven female artists awarded five Grammys in one year; the others being Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, and the members of Dixie Chicks.
'1999 Award wins'
American Music Award
★ Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist
Blockbuster Award
★ Favorite New Artist - Female
MTV Video Music Awards
★ Video of the Year
★ Best Female Video,
★ Best R&B Video, and
★ Best Art Direction (Gideon Ponte) - Doo Wop (That Thing)
''Soul Train'' Lady of Soul
★ R&B/Soul Album of the Year
★ Best R&B/Soul Single, Solo (Ex-Factor)
★ Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video (Doo Wop (That Thing))
WB Radio Music Award
★ Artist of the Year (Rhythm/Urban)
NAACP Image Awards
★ Best Album
★ Best New Artist
★ Outstanding Female Artist
★ President's Award for the Refugee Project
Soul Train Music Awards
★ Best Female R&B/Soul Album
★ Best Music Video ("Doo Wop (That Thing)")
★ Best R&B/Soul or Rap Album
★ Sammy Davis, Jr. Entertainer of the Year Award
'1999 award nominations'
MTV Video Music Awards
★ Best Hip-Hop Video
''Soul Train'' Lady of Soul
★ Best R&B/Soul Album
VH1 Fashion Awards
★ Most Fashionable Artist (Female)
★ Visionary Video Award
MTV Europe Music Awards
★ Best Female Artist
★ Best Album
★ Best R&B Artist
Soul Train Music Awards
★ Best R&B/Soul Single, Female
'2000 Award Wins'
American Music Award
★ Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist
★ Favorite R&B Album
Soul Train Music Awards
★ Best R&B/Soul Single, Female (Ex-Factor)
World Music Awards
★ World's Best-Selling Female R&B Artist
★ World's Best-Selling Female Rap Artist
★ World's Best-Selling New Artist
'2000 Award nominations'
''Soul Train'' Lady of Soul Awards
★ Best R&B/Soul Single - Solo (Everything Is Everything)
MTV Video Music Awards
★ Best Hip-Hop Video - Everything Is Everything
★ Best Direction (Sanji) - Everything Is Everything
★ Best Special Effects (Method) - Everything Is Everything[15]
Current News/Projects
★ Hill is reportedly in the studio recording for a new solo album. July 2007 Interview
★ She recently finished up a solo 2007 summer tour in which she played in many countries including Brazil, England, U.S., Israel, Norway, Turkey, Czech Republic and France.
Discography
The Fugees
★ ''Blunted on Reality'' (1994)
★ ''The Score'' (1996)
★ ''Refugee Camp - Bootleg Versions'' (1996)
★ ''The Complete Score'' (2001)
★ ''Fugees - Greatest Hits'' (2003)
Solo albums
| Album information |
|---|
| ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' ★ Released: August 25 1998 ★ Chart positions: #1 (U.S.), #2 (UK) ★ RIAA certification: 8x Platinum ★ WW sales: 16 Million |
| ''MTV Unplugged No. 2.0'' ★ Released: May 7 2002 ★ Chart positions: #2 U.S. ★ RIAA certification: 2x Platinum ★ WW Sales: 3 Million |
Solo singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | UK | |||
| 1996 | "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" (w/ Nas) | 53 | 15 | 17 | 12 | ''It Was Written'' |
| 1997 | "The Sweetest Thing" | — | — | — | 18 | ''Love Jones (soundtrack)'' |
| "All My Time" (w/ Paid & Live) | — | — | — | 57 | ''All My Time'' | |
| 1998 | "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" | — | — | — | — | ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' |
| "Can't Take My Eyes off of You" | 351 | 45 | — | — | ||
| "Doo Wop (That Thing)" | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 1999 | "Lost Ones" | 271 | — | — | — | |
| "Ex-Factor" | 21 | 7 | — | 4 | ||
| "Everything Is Everything" | 35 | 14 | — | 19 | ||
| "To Zion" | — | 77 | — | — | ||
| "Nothing Even Matters" (featuring D'Angelo) | 105 | 25 | — | — | ||
| "Turn Your Lights Down Low" (w/ Bob Marley) | 86 | 49 | — | 15 | ''Chant Down Babylon'' | |
| 2002 | "Mr. Intentional" | — | — | — | — | ''MTV Unplugged No. 2.0'' |
| 2007 | "Lose Myself" | — | — | — | — | ''Surf's Up (film) Motion Picture Soundtrack'' |
★ 1 peak on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.
References
1. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5940100/the_mystery_of_lauryn_hill
2. http://webuser.fh-furtwangen.de/~krapf/fugees-online/special_interview_trace.htm
3. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1264/is_3_33/ai_87741110/pg_5
4. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279778/fullcredits
5. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1548895/20061227/index.jhtml
6. The Fugees: Reunited and Not Very Good Tom Breihan, Villagevoice.com, September 26,2005
7. http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid376530222/bclid192880054/bctid921441457
8. http://www.snapnetwork.org/news/vatican/lauryn_hill_vatican.htm
9. http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46&aid=57677
10. http://www.snapnetwork.org/news/vatican/lauryn_hill_vatican.htm
11. http://www.snopes.com/quotes/lauryn.htm
12. http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1997/grammys.htm
13. http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/specials/1999/grammys/bigpicture.html
14. http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx?title=&winner=lauryn%20hill&year=0&genreID=0&hp=1
15. http://www.rockonthenet.com/artists-h/laurynhill_main.htm
External links
★ Official site
★ Jan 2006: Interview with ''Essence'' magazine: They Call Me Ms. Hill
★ July 2005: Lauryn Hill interview with ''Trace'' magazine
★ June 2005: Def Poetry Jam Performance
★ An International Fugees fansite with news on Ms. Hill
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