Lauryn Hill, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and actress. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. Hill is credited for breaking barriers for female rappers, popularizing melodic rapping and for bringing hip hop and neo soul to popular music. She is known for being a member of Fugees and her solo album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill (1998), which became one of the best-selling albums of all-time. Hill has won many accolades, including eight Grammy Awards, the most for a female rapper to this day.

While attending high school, Hill starred in the film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) and was approached by Pras Michel to join his band the Fugees, which his cousin Wyclef Jean soon joined. The Fugees released the albums Blunted on Reality (1994) and the Grammy Award-winning The Score (1996), the latter of which sold twenty two million copies worldwide, and spawned the hit single "Killing Me Softly", with Hill on lead vocals. Afterwards, she began to focus on solo projects; writing and producing "A Rose Is Still a Rose" by Aretha Franklin, as well as featuring on the songs "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" by Nas and Guantanamera by Wyclef Jean. Her tumultuous romantic relationship with Jean led to the split of the band in 1997, after which she began work on her solo album.

Hill's sole solo studio album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill (1998) was released to widespread acclaim. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, and became the first album by a female rapper to top the chart. It has been certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America. The lead single "Doo Wop (That Thing)", debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and became the first song by a female rapper to top the chart; and made Hill the first artist to have debuted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 with their first entries on each chart. At the 41st Grammy Awards, the album earned a record setting ten nominations, the most a woman has received for one ceremony. Hill won five awards that night, including Album of the Year, becoming the first hip hop artist to win the award. The album has since been inducted into the Library of Congress.

Soon afterward Hill dropped out of the public eye, dissatisfied with the music industry and suffering from the pressures of fame. Her last full-length recording, the new-material live album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 (2002), sharply divided critics upon its release, but has received retrospective praise; and was later certified Platinum by the RIAA. Hill's subsequent activity, which includes the release of a few songs and occasional festival appearances, has been sporadic.

In 2015, Billboard named her the seventh greatest rapper of all time on their "10 Best Rappers of All Time" list, with Hill being the only female rapper on the list. Consequence of Sound ranked her as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Throughout her career, she has earned several Guinness World Records, including one for being the first female rapper to earn a Diamond certification in the U.S. Hill won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album as a member of The Fugees, for their album The Score, and became the first female artist to win the award. Hill is also a recipient of the NAACP's President's Award, and has been inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.