When she rose to fame in the '90s, Lauryn Hill was a force to be reckoned with. She acted, rapped, churned out hits, had high-profile relationships, and raised six kids. But in recent years, she's faded from the spotlight a bit, leaving fans to wonder where she's gone and whether she's still working on music.
She's inspired celebs like John Legend, Ariana Grande, and countless others, but Lauryn Hill is still pretty humble and continues to work hard. Here's what she's been up to over the years.
Some '90s groups have regrets about where they've been. And plenty of them regret their '90s style choices — like NSYNC with their hair problems. But Lauryn has been riding on the coattails of her own '90s fame all this time, as evidenced by a throwback pic she shared on Instagram.
While the snapshot was from 1998, Lauryn noted that she was currently on her way to perform in Europe. The album she was presenting on stage? "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," her first solo record.
Before that album, Lauryn was part of the Fugees, a band she formed along with other talent, including Wyclef Jean, her then-boyfriend. But the band dissolved after she broke up with Jean, and Lauryn went on to make hits of her own.
She's still performing them today, going on tours in recent years, performing the same music that propelled her to fame.
As far as making new music, though? Lauryn sporadically produced songs through the '90s, but most of her impact was made on stage. Then, in the early 2000s, Hill started selling pay-per-view music videos, signed posters, and other autographed items on her own website.
But over the years, Hill's reputation deteriorated a bit, as she was often late to concerts (though her representatives and media outlets reporting on the events often disagreed on the specific timelines). And in 2009, ahead of what Rolling Stone called her "comeback tour," Hill canceled her scheduled appearances for "health reasons."
And in 2013, after appearing in court numerous times for tax issues, Hill even served prison time (about three months) for tax fraud. And, between 1997 and 2011, Lauryn welcomed six children in between her musical work and other endeavors.
Her first five children were with Zohan Marley (his dad was the late Bob Marley, which was enough reason to draw attention to Zohan), while the sixth child's father has never been confirmed. However, Hello Magazine notes that Marley confirmed that Lauryn's sixth child was not his, though he didn't speak to the paternity of the little boy.
Today, Lauryn's youngest child is nine, while her oldest is 23. Plus, Lauryn's a grandma! Her son Zion is dad to son Zephania, who's now three. But Lauryn's not done being fabulous just yet. As evidenced by her recent tours, there's still plenty left for the rap legend to accomplish in her long career.