Highlights
- Lauryn Hill revolutionized the 90s hip-hop scene with her solo debut album, 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'.
- Hill abruptly left the music industry due to legal troubles, including lawsuits and tax evasion charges.
- Since leaving the music industry, Hill has focused on personal growth and resolving the trauma of her time in the spotlight but has announced a 25th-anniversary tour for her iconic album.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, Lauryn Hill all but single-handedly revolutionized the 90s hip-hop scene. After rising to fame as an actress and frontliner of the popular hip-hop group The Fugees, Hill went on to release her solo debut, ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.’
The album became a massive success, moving nearly half a million copies in its opening week and snagging a mind-blowing five Grammy Awards at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards – a record-shattering feat back then. With a start that promising, Lauryn Hill seemed destined to go head-to-head with legends like Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder.
But just as the world was hers for the taking, Hill ghosted the music industry. Except for a sparse handful of singles, the lauded rapper hasn’t dropped anything that could even remotely hold a candle to her wildly successful debut solo album. Although, Hill recently announced a solo 25th-anniversary tour, according to The Guardian. But here's why Hill abruptly left the music scene to begin with...
Lauryn Hill Was Responsible For One Of The Best Selling Albums Of The 90s
Credited with inspiring musical powerhouses like Rihanna, Drake, Kanye West, and Cardi B., Lauryn Hill is truly one of the greatest rappers alive. Bursting on to the scene as a frontliner of the popular hip-hop group The Fugees, Hill went on to make a name for herself as a rapper and vocalist, lending her talents to timeless hits like ‘Killing Me Softly,’ ‘Ready or Not,’ and ‘The Score.’
The now 48-year-old also made a notable impact in the acting scene, starring in the 1993 sequel to Sister Act, titled Sister Act: Back in the Habit. But it wasn’t until she released her debut album, ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,’ that her career really took off.
With record copies practically flying off the shelves, ‘Miseducation’ went on to become one of the biggest albums of the 90s. It, therefore, came as no surprise when Hill shattered records at the 1999 Grammy Awards, becoming the first woman to be nominated in ten categories in a single year.
But the accolades didn't stop there. Just a few months later, Hill secured an impressive four awards at the 30th annual NAACP Awards, and at just 23 years old, became the youngest woman ever to be included in Ebony magazine’s prestigious list of 100+ Most Influential Black Americans.
Lauryn Hill Had To Serve Three Months In Prison After Getting Arrested For Tax Evasion
Regrettably, along with her newfound fame came a bundle of legal problems. Even before her monumental triumph at the Grammys, Hill was already facing lawsuits from musicians Vada Nobles, Rasheem Pugh, and Johari Newton, who accused her of using "their songs and production skills" in her 'Miseducation' album, and failing to properly credit them for their work.
Although the lawsuit was eventually settled for $5 million, it didn't mark the end of Hill's troubles. Just a year after her debut solo album shattered records at the Grammys, Hill began grappling with the pressures of her sudden stardom, eventually opting to step away from the public eye.
“I had to step away when I realized that for the sake of the machine, I was being way too compromised,” she told Essence of her self-imposed exile in 2020. “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. I thought it was okay for me to write a song about something complicated if I was going through something complicated. But I discovered people could only acknowledge red and blue, and I was somewhere between. I was purple.”
Apart from some sporadic touring and a few tepidly-received singles, Hill remained absent from the spotlight until 2012, when news broke that she’d been charged with three counts of tax fraud for failing to remit over $500,000 in taxes between 2005 and 2007.
The now 48-year-old later explained the charges in a lengthy Tumblr post, claiming that she’d only neglected to pay her taxes when she was forced to go “underground” after rejecting pop culture’s "climate of hostility, false entitlement, manipulation, racial prejudice, sexism and ageism.”
“When I was working consistently without being affected by the interferences mentioned above, I filed and paid my taxes,” she explained. “This only stopped when it was necessary to withdraw from society, in order to guarantee the safety and well-being of myself and my family."
Nearly a year later, the multi-Grammy winner received a sentence of three months in prison, followed by a year of supervised probation, which included three months of house arrest.
Lauryn Hill Completely Transformed Her Life After Leaving The Music Industry
After her imprisonment, Lauryn Hill resumed her self-imposed exile from the music industry. The acclaimed singer even ceased listening to music, delving into a profound introspective phase that completely transformed her perspective on life.
“For two or three years I was away from all social interaction. There was no music,” she revealed to Essence in 2020. “There was no television. It was a very introspective and complicated time because I had to really 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.”
Aside from the occasional Fugees reunion and some sporadic live performances, Hill has steered clear of the music industry, opting to focus on resolving all the trauma inflicted by her time in the limelight.
“I continue to tour and share with audiences all over the world, but I also full-time work on the trauma, stifling, and stunting that came with all of that and how my family and I were affected,” she told RollingStone. “In many ways, we’re living now, making up for years where we couldn’t be as free as we should have been able to.”
Though reluctant to revive her career, the Grammy winner also admitted to RollingStone that nobody from her record label, Columbia Records, has shown interest in helping her release another album. “The wild thing is no one from my label has ever called me and asked how can we help you make another album, EVER…EVER. Did I say ever? Ever!”
What may help this happen is the August 22nd, 2023 announcement that she will be doing a 25th anniversary tour for her iconic album.
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