Black History Bite: Lauryn Hill Out Sold Beyonce & Alicia Keys

Before all the weave, pee popping and glitter nails, there was the truth. The truth of Lauryn Hill this month as we celebrate Black History we have to acknowledge the old and recognize the new.  Lauryn Noel Hill (born May 25, 1975) is an American recording artist, musician, producer and actress. Early in her career, she established her reputation in the hip-hop world as a member of the Fugees. Lauryn Hill was born in South Orange, New Jersey, the second of two children born to high school English teacher Valerie Hill and computer programmer Mal Hill. As a child, Hill listened to her parents’ Motown 1960s soul records. Music was a central part of the Hill home. Mal Hill sang at weddings, Valerie played the piano, and Lauryn’s older brother Malaney played thesaxophone, guitar, drums, harmonica, and piano. In 1988, Hill appeared as an Amateur Night contestant on It’s Showtime at the Apollo. She sang her own version of Smokey Robinson’s song “Who’s Lovin’ You?”, where she was booed tremendously. But came back to win the hearts and applause of the Apollo audience.

Hill began her acting career at a young age, appearing on the soap opera As The World Turns as Kira Johnson. In 1993, she co-starred in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit as Rita Louise Watson, in which she performed the songs “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” (a duet with Tanya Blount) and “Joyful, Joyful”. It was in this role that she first came to national prominence, withRoger Ebert calling her “the girl with the big joyful voice”. Her other acting work includes the play Club XII with MC Lyte, and the motion pictures King of the Hill, Hav Plenty, and Restaurant. After her rise to musical stardom, she reportedly turned down roles in Charlie’s Angels, The Bourne Identity, The Mexican, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

The Fugees’ first album, Blunted on Reality, peaked at #49 on the U.S. Hot 100. The album sold over two million copies worldwide. Blunted on Reality was followed by The Score, a multi-platinum, Grammy-winning album that established two of the three Fugees as international rap stars. Singles from The Score include “Ready or Not”, “Fu-Gee-La”, “No Woman, No Cry”, and “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (made famous by Roberta Flack).

In 1996, Hill began production on an album that would eventually become The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. The title was partially inspired by The Education of Sonny Carson, a film and autobiographical novel about a troubled African American youth. The album featured contributions from D’Angelo, Carlos Santana, Mary J. Blige and a then-unknown John Legend. Songs for the album were largely written in an attic studio in South Orange, New Jersey and recorded at Chung King Studios in Jamaica. Wyclef Jean initially didn’t support Hill recording a solo album, but eventually offered his production help; Hill turned him down.

In 1998, Hill released The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which was both critically and commercially successful. It sold over 423,000 copies in its first week and topped the Billboard 200 albums chart for four weeks and the Billboard R&B Album chart for six weeks; it would go on to sell more than 18 million copies over the next decade. The first single off the album was “Lost Ones” (US #27), released in Spring 1998. The second was “Doo Wop (That Thing)”, which reached #1 in the Billboard charts. Other singles released in support of the album were “Ex-Factor” (US #21), “Everything Is Everything” (US #35), and “To Zion”.

At the 1999 Grammy Awards, Hill was nominated 10 times, becoming the first woman ever to be nominated 10 times in one year: Hill won five Grammys including Album of the Year (beatingMadonna’s critically acclaimed Ray of Light), Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and Best New Artist. Hill set a new record in the industry, becoming the first woman to win five Grammys in one night. Between 1998 and 1999, Hill earned $25 million from record sales and touring.

Lauryn Hill debut album has out sold Beyonce Dangerously In Love, Alicia Keys Songs in a Minor and to this date there has not been a R&B artist to outsell Lauryn Hills Debut album Kudo’s to Lauryn for making a new fact in Black History.