Lauryn Hill garnered mainstream attention as a member of the Fugees, before branching off on a solo career. The 1998 release of her debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, infused reggae, with hip-hop, and neo-soul. It was certified eight-times platinum and Lauryn snagged five Grammy awards, including Best New Artist.
Hollywood came knocking, and she was offered roles in Charlie’s Angels and The Bourne Identity. But as the industry attempted to push her further and further into the limelight, Lauryn became even more uncomfortable with her celebrity status.
More than 20 years after its release, we’re still waiting for her next studio album. However, it’s her personal life that has taken center stage these days. Slowly but surely, her skeletons have tumbled out of the closet, from allegations she was a mistress to two high-profile men, to rumors she was being controlled by a cult leader.
Here’s what really happened to Lauryn Hill.
An early break
Lauryn Hill was born on May 26, 1975, and was raised in South Orange, New Jersey. At the age of 13, she appeared on Showtime at the Apollo, and the audience booed her as she sang Smokey Robinson & the Miracle’s song entitled “Who’s Lovin’ You.” Most kids would’ve given up at that point, but Lauryn was resilient.
Lauryn said she met Pras Michel when she was in high school, but Pras told Vlad TV he and Lauryn first met when she was 12 or 13-years-old. He asked if she wanted to join his music group, and she agreed. The Haitian-American aspiring musician took her under his wing and promised her mom he’d look out for her.
Pras, Lauryn, and a girl named Marcy Harriell formed a trio called Tyme. After Pras finessed his way into a studio owned by a founding member of Kool and the Gang, Tyme was able to lay down vocals on a song that had a reggae vibe. But there was something missing, and Pras knew exactly who could make the track complete.
Meeting Wyclef
In his memoir entitled Purpose, Wyclef Jean said he received a call from his good friend Pras, asking him to come down to the studio to do some “reggae stuff” for his new song. As soon as Wyclef stepped into the room and saw Lauryn, who was almost six years younger than him, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Pras told him to back off and said, “I’m friends with her brother. You can’t go there.”
Wyclef respected his wishes, and they began recording a song entitled “Ride, Little Boy, Ride.” Since Lauryn was off-limits, Wyclef reportedly began fooling around with Marcy instead, since she was more age-appropriate.
Wyclef and Claudinette
Sometime around 1987, Wyclef met a pre-med student named Marie Claudinette at a bus stop. She was a few years older than him, a model, and a gospel singer. One of her songs became the first piece of music Wyclef ever recorded. In his memoir, he said he liked her a lot, but he still charged her to produce the song because he was about his money.
Claudinette would throw him a few bucks when he was running low on cash and allowed him to sleep in her family’s basement if he needed a place to stay. She never turned her back on him and believed in him and his musical aspirations.
Singer, rapper, and actress
Wyclef signed a solo deal in 1987 but he continued making music with his friends. Marcy left the group around 1990 and eventually became a Broadway star. Pras and Lauryn continued making music, and Wyclef became Lauryn’s mentor. He claimed he even taught her how to rap and would write most of her rhymes.
Lauryn also returned to her acting roots and landed a role on As the World Turns. After graduating from high school, she had more time to focus on her passion. She, Wyclef, and Pras went through a couple more name changes including The Tranzlator Crew, before settling on the name Fugees.
Lauryn landed a role in the 1993 film Sister Act 2, and the Fugees signed their first record deal with Ruffhouse Records that same year. Their debut album, Blunted on Reality, was released in 1994. According to Pras’ interview with Vlad TV, the album only sold 12 copies. But the Fugees became an underground success. They began traveling and performing all over the world, and It was around this time that Lauryn and Wyclef got serious. Claudinette was still in the picture as well.
A love triangle
In his memoir, Wyclef called Lauryn his muse and said their second studio album was the soundtrack of their relationship. Things between Lauryn and Wyclef imploded once Claudinette started to get suspicious. Wyclef eventually confessed he was in love with Lauryn because of the beautiful music they were making together. But he assured Claudinette he didn’t love Lauryn the way he loved her.
In 1994, he and Claudinette tied the knot in his father’s church. Believe it or not, Lauryn attended the ceremony. In his memoir, Wyclef said Lauryn was respectful the entire day because he spoke to her beforehand and told her he had made up his mind and there was no turning back.
International success
Their second album The Score was released in February 1996. Thanks to songs, such as “Fu-Gee-La,” “Killing Me Softly,” and “Ready or Not,” the album went six-times platinum and the Fugees won two Grammy awards.
Critics suggested Lauryn should go solo and leave Wyclef and Pras in the dust, but Lauryn remained loyal. Pras told Rolling Stone that Pepsi wanted to put Lauryn in a commercial all by herself. Lauryn’s response was, “Without them I’m not doing it.”
The group headed back on the road and Wyclef and Lauryn started hooking up again. Wyclef wrote in his memoir: “I didn’t want to end my romance. It didn’t feel natural to stop.” He also had a plan: he would continue to see Lauryn up until she found a new man and got married. Then they would move forward as friends and music partners. He thought it was a great idea but, by that point, there were too many emotions involved.
Meeting Rohan Marley
The Fugees snagged a spot on the 1996 Smokin’ Grooves Tour alongside other acts like Cypress Hill and Ziggy Marley. While touring, Lauryn met Rohan Marley, who had accompanied his brother Ziggy on the tour. Lauryn wasn’t interested in him at first because she was still in love with Wyclef.
A source told Rolling Stone everyone was pushing Lauryn to give Rohan a chance just so she could finally break free from Wyclef. Perhaps it was a bad idea because the source added they had no idea about the “other baggage and drama” Rohan had going on in his life. We’ll get into that in a bit…
The tour ended, and in April 1997, the Fugees put on a huge concert in Haiti. For Wyclef and Pras, it was a great honor to represent their country. For Lauryn, it was the first time she would show her baby bump to the world.
A source told Rolling Stone everyone in the Fugees camp wondered who the father was, and Wyclef wrote in his memoir he thought he was the dad.
Going solo
Lauryn was ready to make more music but with all the stress and turmoil brewing between the Fugees, she decided to work on her own songs. Pras told Rolling Stone this caused even more tension between Lauryn and Wyclef, and Wyclef wasn’t on board with her doing her own thing. Lauryn felt she had always been so loyal to the Fugees, and all she wanted was for Wyclef to lend his support. When he didn’t, Pras said it affected her mentally.
Wyclef finally had a change of heart. All three group members decided to work on solo projects and Wyclef agreed to produce Lauryn’s entire album, but she no longer wanted his help. A source told Rolling Stone Lauryn was “aiming for big hits so she could outshine the Fugees and outshine Wyclef.”
To Zion
In between writing for other artists, like Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, Lauryn put everything she had into her debut album. A few of the tracks focused on her relationship with Wyclef, and one sentimental song was written for her unborn son, entitled “To Zion.” She sings, “‘Look at your career,’ they said / ‘Lauryn, baby, use your head.’/ But instead I chose to use my heart.”
The day Lauryn went into labor, Wyclef reportedly flew out to be by her side. She gave birth to her son Zion in August 1997, and the baby’s daddy was none other than Rohan.
Wyclef admitted in his memoir that finding out Lauryn had a baby by someone else tarnished her image in his eyes. He said their love spell had been broken, and he added: “She could no longer be my muse.”
Rohan’s baggage
Lauryn had initially found happiness with Rohan, but according to a source that spoke with Rolling Stone, right after giving birth, someone told Lauryn that Rohan was a married man.
Let’s go back to March 18th, 1993, three years prior to Rohan meeting Lauryn. He was a star athlete on the University of Miami football team and got married to an eighteen-year-old woman during his sophomore year of college. Sources told Rolling Stone Rohan had two children from that marriage and never bothered to get divorced.
With all the facts laid in front of her, the insider said Lauryn chose to continue their relationship and still referred to Rohan as her husband.
A devastating lawsuit
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was released in August 1998 with the album credits stating it was produced, written, and arranged by Lauryn. The album rose to the number 1 spot on the Billboard chart and sold 689,000 copies in the first two weeks. It was a work of art, a masterpiece, and Lauryn was described as a musical genius.
Lauryn got pregnant again and gave birth to Selah Louise Marley in November 1998. A month later, a group of four musicians, known collectively as New Ark, filed a suit against her, claiming they deserved a share of songwriting and production credits on her album. According to the L.A. Times, New Ark also claimed they weren’t credited for the contributions to Aretha Franklin’s song “A Rose Is Still a Rose” because Lauryn claimed full production credits.
A source confirmed to Rolling Stone that Lauryn didn’t get any written documentation from the people she worked with on her solo album. Lauryn reportedly told her collaborators, “We all love each other. This ain’t about documents. This is blessed.’”
She still took home five Grammy awards at the 41st annual show. She eventually settled with the producers, with Rolling Stone reporting she paid them $5 million dollars. Relinquishing credit for the work she thought was rightfully hers left her feeling defeated. A friend told Rolling Stone, “That was the beginning of a chain effect that would turn everything a little crazy.”
Lauryn unravels
She won her eighth Grammy award at the 42nd annual show for her work on Carlos Santana’s album Supernatural. However, things in her private life were unraveling. She was juggling motherhood and was reportedly unhappy in her relationship. She couldn’t afford to take a break because she was financially supporting several of her family members.
In order to extend the popularity of her debut album, her record label encouraged her to head out on the Miseducation Tour in 1999. It was then that she came to a startling realization. The album was recorded when she was pregnant with Zion and, like most pregnant women, her voice was able to hit octaves it had never reached before. According to BET, she struggled singing those same notes and strained her voice in the process.
There were rumors that after the tour, she went back home to discover Rohan had been cheating on her. Some people say the other woman was Lauryn’s family member, while others say he cheated with Lauryn’s assistant. Rohan denied the allegation in an interview with The Voice.
‘Brainwashed’ by Brother Anthony
The demands from her professional career and the stress from her private life became too much. She began praying to God and believed her prayers were answered in 2000 when she met a rumored cult leader named Brother Anthony. Her friends found Brother Anthony to be very bizarre and thought Lauryn was being brainwashed. One insider said, “His whole demeanor was real possessive, aggressive and crooked to me.”
After meeting Brother Anthony, she abruptly fired her management team and cut ties with former colleagues and friends. Next came a brief hiatus.
A new Lauryn
When she reemerged at the May 2001 Essence Awards, her beautiful hair had been chopped off, her voice was strained, and her eyes were filled with sadness. The song she performed, entitled “Adam Lives In Theory” spoke of betrayal, which led many to believe infidelity had broken her spirit.
That same year, she was set to record her MTV Unplugged special while also pregnant with her third child. According to Rolling Stone, during rehearsal the day before the recording, she ripped her throat but refused to reschedule.
The taping took place in July 2001, with Lauryn showcasing a much raspier and ragged voice. She sang while playing the guitar and ranted in between songs. Fans were shocked to see Lauryn crying and declaring herself “crazy and deranged.” The album only sold 470,000 copies, which was deemed a failure.
The Guardian reported she headed to Miami to record her highly anticipated sophomore album. She learned from the mistakes she made with her first album and was determined to get all the credit she deserved. An insider told Rolling Stone she required her collaborators to sign a waiver which would give her sole writing credit for every track. Other collaborators were allegedly asked to “Do it for God” and work for free. Once it came time to record, Lauryn reportedly postponed so many studio sessions, the collaborators got fed up and left without recording any material.
Introducing Ms. Lauryn Hill
Between 2002 and 2003, she gave birth to two more children, Joshua and John Nesta Marley. In 2003, she decided that instead of being called Lauryn Hill, she wanted everyone to refer to her as Ms. Hill. She explained the name change in an interview with Essence by saying, “I’m Ms. Hill because I know I’m a wise woman. That is the respect I deserve.”
Lauryn, Rohan, and their children had been living in Miami for many years. But according to Rolling Stone, that all changed toward the end of 2003 when she and her kids moved back to New Jersey to live with her mom. Many assumed her relationship with Rohan was over as well.
She attempted to reunite with her Fugees group mates many times, including in 2005. People magazine stated the reunion album was derailed. After heading out on a brief tour, Lauryn’s chronic lateness drove an even deeper wedge between the trio.
A failed reunion and personal drama
In 2008, she announced the birth of her fifth child Sarah. Rohan confirmed he and Lauryn no longer lived under the same roof but told People magazine they were still “spiritually together.”
In 2009, the Fugees reunited again to work on their third album. Lauryn told Essence the project would bring a lot of closure to their lives. As of this video, the album has yet to be released.
In July 2011, Lauryn gave birth to her sixth child named Micah Hill. Rohan confirmed he wasn’t the father in a since-deleted tweet that read: “Well wishes to Ms. Hill on the birth of her new son.” Lauryn has yet to confirm the child’s father.
At the time her child was born, Rohan had already moved on and was engaged to Victoria’s Secret model Isabeli Fontana, and he was tired of people blaming him for everything going on in Lauryn’s life.
In a September 2012 interview with The Voice, he said the reason he and Lauryn never got married was because she didn’t want to get married. He also addressed the reason for their breakup and said things fell apart once Lauryn allowed Brother Anthony into her life. He added, “Ultimately, we grew apart because of our different interpretations of how life should be.” He and Isabeli never made it down the aisle. Instead, Rohan tied the knot with Brazilian model Barbara Fialho in 2019.
Lauryn put her focus back into her music. In 2013, she released a track called “Neurotic Society” just days before she was sentenced to three months behind bars for an outstanding bill of close to $2.3 million dollars for unpaid taxes between 2005 and 2007. She was released from the pen in October 2013.
Lauryn Hill’s legacy
Lauryn continues to perform across the globe, although her reputation for being late has turned off many of her fans. Concertgoers also report she performs strange remixes of her songs, which leads many to believe she’s legally restricted from performing the tracks in their original form. Lauryn denied that rumor on the Medium website and said she switches up the songs to keep things fresh. Although she has yet to release her second solo album, she gave us new music in 2019 with the song “Guarding the Gates” off the Queen & Slim soundtrack.
After her son Zion welcomed his first child, Lauryn became a grandmother. She also celebrated the 20th anniversary of Miseducation in 2018. We’re not sure if she’ll ever get around to finishing her second studio album, but her eight Grammy awards and her 2018 induction into the Library of Congress’ national registry prove that her legacy and impact will live on forever.
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