Lauryn Hill: Soul and steel

New Crisis, The, Mar/Apr 1999 by Brown, Jordan

While lots of folks made music at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles last February, Lauryn Hill made history. The 23-year-old, chocolate brown, dreadlocks-wearing mother of two, with lips as full as a harvest moon, walked into the auditorium with ten nominations for her debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. At the end of the evening, she walked off with five awards-Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best RB Song, Best R&B album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance-becoming the first rap artist to win Album of the Year and the first woman to win five Grammies in the same night.

Although Hill may be young, her career is not: At age 13 she was on the stage of the Apollo Theatre covering the Jackson Five's version of Smoky Robinson's "Who's Loving You." By the time she was in high school, in her hometown of South Orange, NJ., she had landed a recurring role as "Kira," a troubled teen on the CBS-TV soap opera As The World Turns. As if an television gig were not enough for a high school student, Hill also managed dance and violin lessons, as well as an advanced placement biology course, without breaking much of a sweat-all this while founding the school's gospel choir and serving as a cheerleader. But, not for the last time in her life, the overachieving Hill did more than enjoy personal success. Her school guidance counselor, LuElla Peniston, described the future Grammy winner's high school days to The New York Times: "Lauryn was a gifted student, but more than a student, she was a teacher, someone who influenced a lot of other kids. She really had a vision for bringing people together." Included in Hill's vision was a free breakfast program for disadvantaged students, which she organized in her 'spare' time.

By 1993, Hill's television exposure opened the door for a role opposite Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act II: Back in the Habit. That same year, the Fugees, the group Hill co-founded in high school with childhood friends Prakazrel "Pras" Michel and Wyclef Jean, released its first album-Blunted On Reality. This RuffHouse\Columbia release did not set the world on fire. In fact, the album's poor sales testified to why every

other record label had passed on the

Fugees. Despite this, critics were impressed with Hill and she began receiving calls urging her to go solo. Hill wouldn't have it, stuck with Pras and Wyclef, and decided to go to college. Last year, she told Vibe magazine why she made her choice: "Some were like, `Girl, just sing.' And then you had the people who always thought I was in the wrong crew. There was always a lot of energy for me to do something solo, but to me, it was a little bit negative. It was flattering, but it was like, 'Cross them cats; get rid of them.' But that's not me. I'm not a jump-ship type of person.... In my mind, I was happy because those were my boys; we grew up together. I loved them very much."

When Hill began her freshman year at Columbia University in New York City, the group started work on its second album, The Score. Released in 1996, the album was a smash hit. On the strength of the band's cover of Roberta Flack's 1973 classic, "Killing Me Softly With His Song," the album sold more than 17 million copies worldwide, becoming the biggest selling rap album in history and garnering two Grammy Awards in 1997. That same year, Hill provided a hint of her own musical direction with "The Sweetest Thing," which formed part of the soundtrack of the movie Love Jones. Hill dug into a musical vein that was progressive and retro in the same instant-hiphop drum beats were married to vocals that possessed a feeling akin to blues legend Bessie Smith.

Instead of using the success of The Score to pump their egos, the Fugees, collectively and individually, used their success to help others. In 1996, Hill formed the Refugee Project, with a slate of programs to help disadvantaged youth. Hill's explanation for her decision was typically straightforward: "In my travels all over the world, I have come to realize that what distinguishes one child from another is not ability but access. Access to education, access to opportunity, access to love. I am touched by the smiles that music, the universal language, brings to people everywhere, and wish to give something back.

In three short years, the Refugee Project has created an impressive number of social programs, including:

Camp Hill-an overnight camp in the Catskill Mountains for young people between the ages of ten and 13. Workshops and lectures, arts and crafts, dance and athletics are among the program's offerings.

The Circle Mentoring Program-this is a two-year program which continues where Camp Hill leaves off. Campers, as well as other children who apply for the mentoring program, are paired with two mentors, one a professional and the other an undergraduate college student, who represent fields of knowledge ranging from the arts to technology to finance.

The Annual Halloween Scare Affair-in conjunction with 100 Black Men of New Jersey, Hill hosts an annual Halloween Scare Affair for the young people of Essex County, NJ.