Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, rapper, actress and record producer. She is considered one of the most influential musicians of her time. A pioneer of rap-singing and a key figure in the neo soul movement, The Telegraph credited her with helping popularize hip-hop music. Hill was the only woman named on the lists of "Greatest MCs of All Time" (2006) by MTV and 10 Greatest Rappers by Billboard, and ranked the highest amongst women on the 2013 NME readers' poll of "Greatest Rappers Ever". She also appeared on Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Singers, VH1's 100 Women in Music, and NPR's 50 Great Voices.

Hill began her career as a teen actress, portraying Kira Johnson in the soap opera As the World Turns (1991) before appearing in Steven Soderbergh's film King of the Hill (1993). She received acclaim for her role as Rita Watson in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993), which featured her rendition of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow". Hill achieved prominence as the frontwoman of the Fugees. Their second album, The Score (1996), included the hits "Killing Me Softly" and "Ready or Not", and sold over 22 million copies worldwide. It won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, making Hill the first woman to receive the honor.