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With eight Grammys, four Guinness World Records, innumerable chart-busters, and one solo album, Lauryn Hill has left an indelible mark on the landscape of American rap and neo-soul music.
Hill's breakthrough moment came when she founded a hip-hop band called The Fugees with Pras Michel and Wyclef Jean. The Fugees became one of the most popular singing trios in the industry with the release of their second album called The Score. Hill left the band in 1997 to focus on her solo projects.
With a total of 104 tracks on Spotify, Lauryn Hill is one of the most-streamed artists on the platform. The ex-Fugee alumni has accumulated over three billion streams on the platform with almost two million streams added daily.
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Lauryn Hill's top 5 most streamed songs, ranked
5) Can't Take My Eyes Off of You - (I Love You Baby)
Total Spotify streams: 154,073,722
Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio had originally sung Can't Take My Eyes Off You in 1967. The song was a chartbuster at that time, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lauryn Hill recorded the song in 1997 when she was eight months pregnant with her first child, Zion.
In an interview with The Guardian in 199, which was reshared on August 21, 2013, she spoke about writing this track:
"That song is about the revelation that my son was to me."
Hill's version was featured in the 1997 film Conspiracy Theory. Although the song initially went under the radar, it picked up popularity after radio stations started playing it. It reached number 2 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart and was added as a hidden track on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
Can't Take My Eyes Off You also became the first hidden track in history to ever get a Grammy nomination as it received a nod for the 'Best Female Pop Vocal Performance' category in 1999.
4) Fu-Gee-La
Total Spotify streams: 170,316,464
Fu-Gee-La (1996) was the lead single of The Score - the second and the most iconic album of The Fugees. Produced by Ruffhouse Records, the song sampled classics like If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right) by Ramsey Lewis and Ooo La La La by Teena Marie.
Fu-Gee-La peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was atop the Billboard Dance Chart. The song was certified platinum by RIAA and was also interpolated in many modern works of juggernauts like Jay-Z and The Weeknd.
3) Ex-factor
Total Spotify streams: 269,637,875
Ex-factor from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was released in 1998 and dissected a relationship in shambles. Hill sampled elements from Can It Be All So Simple to create one of the most unique entries of her debut solo album.
The song occupied 21st spot on Billboard Hot 100 and 7th position on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in its prime. It also bagged the Best R&B/Soul Single-Female award at the 2000 Soul Train Music Awards.
2) Ready or Not
Total Spotify streams: 367,285,782
Another entry from The Fugees, Ready or Not quickly became one of the several chart-busters from The Score album. The song sampled Enya's Boadicea, while the chorus was inspired by Delfonics' Ready Or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love).
Since Hill's 1996 track was not released as a commercial single, it was ineligible for the Billboard Hot 100 list. However, the song reached the pinnacle of the UK Singles Chart, becoming one of the best-selling songs of the year in the United Kingdom.
The music video for the song was directed by Marcus Nispel on a reported budget of around $1.3 million, making it one of the most expensive music videos of all time.
1) Doo Wop (That Thing)
Total Spotify streams: 485,255,255
Doo Wop (That Thing) was the lead single of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and the most-streamed song in her illustrious repertoire of works. Written and produced by Hill herself, it was the first and only song to debut at the pinnacle of Billboard Hot 100. The track was released on August 10, 1998.
With this song, Lauryn Hill joined juggernauts like Sinead O'Connor, Linda Goldstein, Valerie Simpson, Roberta Flack, and Ellie Greenwich to become only the sixth woman to produce a chart-topping single. It was the first rap song by a female to reign on the Billboard Hot 100 list
Doo Wop (That Thing) also won big at the Grammys, bagging 'Best Female R&B Vocal Performance' and 'Best R&B Song.' Furthermore, Hill was honored with Best R&B Album and Album of the Year for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was the first and the only solo album of the American rapper. After achieving the zenith of success with her debut album, Lauryn Hill prioritized family and her children over working on her solo projects. The album was honored as the Best Album of all time by Apple Music in May 2024.
