The trio, which consisted of Hill, Jean, and Pras, were signed to Ruffhouse which distributed records through Columbia. The Trio changed their name to the well-known Fugees, which was taken from the word “refugee” which Haitian-Americans were commonly called. The trio released a hip-hop LP called “Blunted on Reality” which debuted in 1994. The album wasn’t heavily politicized like their later albums and of course didn’t take off until their second album “The Score”. Their Sophomore album is what gained the group national fame as they carried their musical qualities over from the first album and stayed consistent with their style and flow. The articulate production and innovative use of samples has led them to release many hits and renditions of old songs which many people still enjoy to this day.

Solo Projects

After Hills success with the Fugees, the group split up to do solo projects. This may be due to Hills romantic involvement with Jean as well as romantic differences with Jean marrying another woman while still dating Hill. Hills first solo record, “The miseducation of Lauryn Hill”, featured many collaborations and contributions from artists such as D’Angelo, Carlos Santana, Mary J. Blige, and John Legend. During the production, Hill turned down Jeans offer for production help due to their shaky past. Her album consisted of shots and jabs at her old music group mostly citing Jean and consisted of songs relating to her choices in life, such as having her first baby with Rohan Marley, who was the son of Bob Marley. 

The album garnered huge success in the music industry, as critics raved claiming it was one of the most acclaimed albums of 1998.  Hills blending of different genres as well as her insightful writing based on her perspectives of life and relationships has caught the attention of many, as it was considered a powerful album filled with emotion, pain, painted by her past but also shines a light for what would come. In its first week of sale, Hills album sold over 400,000 copies and was an easy chart topper for several weeks. Overall it sold about 8 million copies in the US and 12 million worldwide. Her worldwide success resulted in her being nominated in ten categories in one year for the Grammys. She would be the first woman at the time to achieve such a feat.

Conclusion

Her first solo studio album was the only one she’s ever released. Since then she has toured and written singles while performing in many different projects and activities irrelevant to music. In the late 2010s she was imprisoned for 3 months due to tax fraud on taxes not paid between 2005-2007. She has since then served her prison sentence as well as her 3 months of house arrest. To this day she has 6 children, 5 with Marley and a 6th with a publicly unannounced father. Hill’s contribution to music is a great one, and despite only one album release, her footprint in the music industry is a large one and has created inspiration for many likeminded individuals like her out there.