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Jet, March 15, 1999

Hip Hop icon Lauryn Hill became the biggest Grammy Award-winning female of all time, pulling in a record five awards, including the biggest of all, Best Album of the Year, at the recent 41st annual telecast of music's most prestigious award show.

Hill topped the record-four -set in the early 1970s by singer-songwriter Carole King. At Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium, she also took home Grammys in the categories of Best New Artist, Best R&B Female Vocals and Best R&B song, both for Doo Wop (That Thing). And her best-selling The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was also named Best R&B Album.

When she walked onstage to accept the Best New Artist award, she read a passage from Psalm 40 as she thanked God for her blessing. She hugged enthusiastic presenter Whitney Houston as she came onstage to collect the Best Album statuette.

"This is so amazing," she said onstage of her big wins. "This is crazy because this is hip-hop music." Many have suggested that the music form has rarely gotten much respect from the industry establishment.

The 23-year-old hip hop sensation sang To Zion, an ode to her son Zion David, from the album. She also has a baby daughter, Selah Louise.

Hill's music and history-making wins not only have kicked down cultural boundaries but also have ignited pride and unity in residents of the affluent community of South Orange, NJ, where she resides with her family.

Just last year the ritzy area had toyed with the idea of changing its name to South Mountain Village because it believed that the poorer and urban Orange and East Orange residents were bringing it down. Hill's win--not to mention the campaign's failure--changed all that.

"I think her success really helps legitimize our community and its diversity," William Calabrese, the village's elected president, told the New York Times. "We want to show the world that our town can thrive with all colors and creeds, and Ms. Hill is helping us do that."

Other Blacks who were big winners of the evening were Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock, both with two awards. Wonder pulled in awards for Best R&B Male Vocals for St. Louis Blues and, along with Herbie Hancock and Robert Sadin, for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals for the same song. Hancock's other win was for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group for Gershwin's World.

When Will Smith accepted the Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance for Gettin' Jiggy Wit It, he jokingly told the crowd that he'd had a parent's conference at his son's school and was told that his offspring was good at math and science, but deficient at rhyming. The boy might have to be a lawyer, Smith said.

Rap star Jay-Z had people talking when he boycotted the ceremony because he felt it is disrespectful that only one rap category is televised.

"Hip hop music overall generated $1.10 billion in revenue last year," said Damon Dash, a spokesperson for Jay-Z and his business partner at Roc-A-Fella Records. "To only air one category, he found that to be disrespectful. He appreciates the love but he wasn't going to go out of his way to be there." Even with a no-show and protest (he wanted his name to be withdrawn), the performer still won Best Rap Album for his platinum-selling Vol. 2 ... Hard Knock Life.

Other Black winners during the night included Brandy and Monica (Best Duo or Group R&B Performance, The Boy Is Mine); Patti LaBelle (Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance, Live! One Night Only); Lenny Kravitz (Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, Fly Away); The Associates; O'Landa Draper (Best Gospel Choir Or Chorus Album, Reflections); Deniece Williams (Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album, This Is My Song); Cissy Houston (Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album, He Leadeth Me); Kirk Franklin (Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album, The Nu Nation Project); Shirley Horn (Best Jazz Vocal Performance, I Remember Miles); The Count Basie Orchestra (Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance, Count Basie Plays Duke); Keb' Mo' (Best Contemporary Blues Album, Slow Down); Otis Rush (Best Traditional Blues Album, Any Place I'm Going); Sly & Robbie (Best Reggae Album, Friends); Jessye Norman (Best Opera Recording, Bartok: Bluebeard's Castle); and The Lion King (Best Musical Show Album).

Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to soul legends Smokey Robinson and to the late Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. Trustees Non-Performing Awards were presented to Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the noted song-writers-producers.