129-407: " Doo Wop (That Thing) " is a song by American rapper and singer Lauryn Hill from her debut solo studio album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). It was written and produced by Hill. The song was released as her solo debut and lead single from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on August 10, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records . No commercial release was originally intended for
258-652: A mashup with her song, " He Can Only Hold Her ", during live concerts from 2006 to 2008; her performance of the mashup in May 2007 at Shepherd's Bush Empire , was later included on her live album I Told You I Was Trouble: Live in London . Rihanna also covered the song while touring on Kanye West 's Glow in the Dark Tour , in 2008. In 2012, R&B singer Teyana Taylor released her The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill inspired mixtape, The Misunderstanding of Teyana Taylor ;
387-538: A pay-per-view music video of the song "Social Drugs" through her website. Those who purchase the $ 15 video would only be able to view it three times before it expired. In addition to the video, Hill began selling autographed posters and Polaroids through her website, with some items listed at upwards of $ 500. For the first time since 1997, the Fugees performed in September 2004 at Dave Chappelle's Block Party in
516-524: A basketball game. Due to its popularity, subsequent games featured a recording of her rendition. In 1988, Hill appeared as an Amateur Night contestant on It's Showtime at the Apollo . She sang her version of the Smokey Robinson track " Who's Lovin' You ", garnering an initially harsh reaction from the crowd. She persevered through the performance. Hill attended Columbia High School , where she
645-409: A blog a 1996 divorce document from Haiti . The two had been living in a high-end Miami hotel, but around 2003 she moved out into her own place in that city. Hill later said that she and Marley "have had long periods of separation over the years". Hill slowly worked on a new album and it was reported that by 2003, Columbia Records had spent more than $ 2.5 million funding it, including installing
774-605: A cappella performance of the traditional spiritual " Oh Freedom " retitled "Freedom Song" on the original Soul to Soul LP soundtrack is only available in the VHS version of the film. Flack's cover version of " Will You Love Me Tomorrow " hit number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. Her Atlantic recordings did not sell particularly well, until actor/director Clint Eastwood chose a song from First Take , " The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face " written by Ewan MacColl , for
903-450: A cover of the song by singer Ester Dean , who performed the hook of the song in the 'Riff Off'. Singer John Legend performed a rendition of the song on the ABC network show Greatest Hits . In 2023, rapper/singer Tobe Nwigwe released a cover version of the song for Spotify Singles . In 2021, author Minda Harts published her second book, Right Within: How We Heal From Racial Trauma in
1032-445: A little crazy." Hill began writing a screenplay about the life of Bob Marley , in the production of which she planned to play his wife Rita . She also began producing a romantic comedy about soul food with a working title of Sauce , and accepted a starring role in the film adaptation of Toni Morrison 's novel Beloved ; she later dropped out of both projects due to pregnancy. She also reportedly turned down acting roles in
1161-416: A long post to her Tumblr , Hill said that she had gone "underground" and had rejected pop culture's "climate of hostility, false entitlement, manipulation, racial prejudice, sexism, and ageism." She added, "When I was working consistently without being affected by the interferences mentioned above, I filed and paid my taxes. This only stopped when it was necessary to withdraw from society, in order to guarantee
1290-407: A love for—I don't know if it was necessarily for academics, more than it just was for achieving, period. If it was academics, if it was sports, if it was music, if it was dance, whatever it was, I was always driven to do a lot in whatever field or whatever area I was focusing on at the moment." While a freshman in high school, through mutual friends, Prakazrel "Pras" Michel approached Hill about
1419-629: A music group he was creating. Hill and Pras began under the name Translator Crew. They came up with this name because they wanted to rhyme in different languages. Another female vocalist was soon replaced by Michel's cousin, multi-instrumentalist Wyclef Jean . The group began performing in local showcases and high school talent shows. Hill was initially only a singer, but then learned to rap too; instead of modeling herself on female rappers like Salt-N-Pepa and MC Lyte , she preferred male rappers like Ice Cube and developed her flow from listening to them. Hill later said, "I remember doing my homework in
SECTION 10
#17328011861751548-526: A performance in Vatican City , spoke of the "corruption, exploitation, and abuses" in reference to the molestation of boys by Catholic priests in the United States and the cover-up of offenses by Catholic Church officials. High-ranking church officials were in attendance, but Pope John Paul II was not present. The Catholic League called Hill "pathologically miserable" and claimed her career
1677-407: A period of writer's block . In terms of production, Hill collaborated with a group of musicians known as New Ark, consisting of Vada Nobles , Rasheem Pugh, Tejumold Newton, and Johari Newton. Hill later said that she wanted to "write songs that lyrically move me and have the integrity of reggae and the knock of hip-hop and the instrumentation of classic soul" and that the production on the album
1806-519: A person. It may not be a proper follow-up to her first album, but it is fascinating." Rolling Stone called the album "a public breakdown", and Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times said the album's title opened Hill up for jokes that she had become unhinged. NME wrote that " Unplugged 2.0 is a sparse and often gruelling listen, but there is enough genius shading these rough sketches to suggest that all might not yet be lost." With
1935-603: A producer on Santana 's album Supernatural (1999) earned her a second-consecutive Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Her live album of newly recorded material, MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 (2002), peaked within the top five on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the RIAA. Ultimately, Hill dropped out of the public eye, only periodically releasing songs such as " Black Rage (Sketch) " and " Nobody ". In 2023, Hill co-wrote
2064-527: A professional singer-songwriter, Flack returned to Washington, D.C. , and taught at Banneker, Browne, and Rabaut Junior High Schools. She also taught private piano lessons out of her home on Euclid Street, NW in the city. During that time, her music career began to take shape on evenings and weekends in Washington metropolitan area night spots. At the Tivoli Club, she accompanied opera singers at
2193-443: A prominent recorder, engineer, and mixer on Miseducation , described the album as a "powerfully personal effort by Hill" and said, "It was definitely her vision." Hill responded that New Ark had been appropriately credited and now were seeking to take advantage of her success. New Ark requested partial writing credits on most of the tracks on the album as well as monetary reimbursement. After many delays, depositions took place during
2322-595: A racist? My music is universal. And I believe in God. If I believe in God, then I have to love all of God's creations. There can be no segregation." In 1996, Hill founded the Refugee Project, a non-profit outreach organization that sought to transform the attitudes and behavior of at-risk urban youth. Part of this was Camp Hill, which offered stays in the Catskill Mountains for such youngsters; another
2451-501: A recording studio in the singer's Miami apartment and flying different musicians around the country. By 2002, Hill had shut down her non-profit Refugee Project. She said, "I had a nonprofit organization and I had to shut all that down. You know, smiling with big checks, obligatory things, not having things come from a place of passion. That's slavery. Everything we do should be a result of our gratitude for what God has done for us. It should be passionate." In December 2003, Hill, during
2580-478: A second album of Beatles covers. In 2013, she was reported to be involved in an interpretative album of the Beatles' classics. At age 80, Flack made her most recent recording, Running , the closing credits song of the 2018 feature documentary 3100: Run and Become with music and lyrics by Michael A. Levine . In 1971, Village Voice critic Robert Christgau reported that "Flack is generally regarded as
2709-427: A small crowd, for a taping of an MTV Unplugged special. A live album of the concert, titled MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 , was released in May 2002 and featured only her singing and playing an acoustic guitar. Unlike the near-unanimous praise of Miseducation , 2.0 sharply divided critics. AllMusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, saying that the recording "is the unfinished, unflinching presentation of ideas and of
SECTION 20
#17328011861752838-521: A soloist to debut at number one, and the first debut single to premiere atop the chart. It also marked the first song by a female rapper to peak at number one on the Hot 100, and remained the only solo song by a female rapper to debut at number one for nearly a quarter of century afterwards. The song reached number one on the R&;B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, and surpassed 50 million audience listeners on radio, which
2967-481: A song that debuted at number one, following Mariah Carey and Celine Dion . The song set the record for the longest-running number one by an unaccompanied woman rapper, holding that record for almost 19 years, until it was surpassed by Cardi B 's single " Bodak Yellow ", which stayed atop the Hot 100 chart for three weeks. The song experienced similar success abroad, reaching number one in Iceland, and peaking within
3096-452: A songwriter on the song. Around 2001, Marley and Hill's third child, Joshua Omaru , was born. He was followed a year later by their fourth, John Nesta. While Hill sometimes had spoken of Marley as her husband, they never married, and along the way she was informed that Marley had been previously married at a young age. According to a 2003 Rolling Stone report, he had never secured a divorce. Marley later disputed this and made public to
3225-522: A strong alternative to the gangsta idiom, and Hill stated, "We're trying to do something positive with the music because it seems like only the negative is rising to the top these days. It only takes a drop of purity to clean a cesspool." Singles from The Score included " Fu-Gee-La " and " Ready or Not ", which highlighted Hill's singing and rapping abilities, and the Bob Marley cover " No Woman, No Cry ". Her rendition of " Killing Me Softly " became
3354-657: A success outside of her group, The Fugees . In 1999, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" was ranked at number two on The Village Voice ' s Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll, after Fatboy Slim ' s " The Rockafeller Skank ". "Doo Wop (That Thing)" was included at number 359 on the Songs of the Century list by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for
3483-457: A week; she also stopped doing interviews, watching television, and listening to music. She started associating with a "spiritual advisor" named Brother Anthony. Some familiar with Hill believe Anthony more resembled a cult leader than a spiritual advisor, and thought his guidance probably inspired much of Hill's more controversial public behavior. She later described this period of her life to Essence saying "People need to understand that
3612-862: Is a member of the Artist Empowerment Coalition, which advocates for artists to have the right to control their creative properties. She is also a spokeswoman for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ; her appearance in commercials for the ASPCA featured "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face". The Hyde Leadership Charter School in the Bronx, NYC, runs an after-school music program called "The Roberta Flack School of Music" to provide free music education to underprivileged students in partnership with Flack, who founded
3741-428: Is a very sexist industry. They'll never throw the 'genius' title to a sister." While recording the album, when Hill was asked about providing contracts or documentation to the musicians, she replied, "We all love each other. This ain't about documents. This is blessed." Released on August 25, 1998, the album received rave reviews from contemporary music critics, and was the most acclaimed album of 1998. Critics lauded
3870-574: Is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is often credited for breaking barriers for female rappers, popularizing melodic rap, and pioneering neo soul for mainstream audiences . In addition to being named one of the 50 Great Voices by NPR , Hill was listed as one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone . In 2015, she was named the greatest female rapper by Billboard . Her other accolades include eight Grammy Awards —the most for any female rapper . With over 50 million records sold worldwide, she
3999-656: Is one of the best-selling female rappers of all time . Hill began her career as a teen actress . She landed a role in the soap opera As the World Turns (1991), and starred in the off-Broadway play Club XII alongside MC Lyte . Her performance as Rita in the film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) was widely praised. Hill gained further prominence as the frontwoman of the hip hop trio Fugees , which she formed in 1990 with fellow musicians Wyclef Jean and Pras . Their second album, The Score (1996), peaked atop
Doo Wop (That Thing) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4128-567: The Billboard 200 , and led her to become the first woman to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album . The album included the hit singles " Killing Me Softly ", " Fu-Gee-La ", and " Ready or Not ". As a soloist, she made her debut guest appearance on Nas 's 1996 single " If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) ". After the Fugees' disbandment the following year, Hill wrote, produced, and directed
4257-607: The 1999 MTV Video Music Awards , including the top prize Video of the Year (a first for a rapper). VH1 and Slant have both ranked it as one of the 100 greatest music videos. The hip hop and R&B song is a warning from Lauryn Hill to African-American men and women caught in "the struggle". Both the women who "[try to] be a hard rock when they really are a gem", and the men who are "more concerned with his rims , and his Timbs , than his women", are admonished by Hill, who warns them not to allow "that thing" to ruin their lives. The chorus seems to promote egalitarianism between
4386-485: The 61st Annual Grammy Awards . Folk singer Devendra Banhart has also covered the song during multiple live performances, including at the music festivals, Bonnaroo and Pitchfork Music Festival . Bruno Mars sung "Doo Wop (That Thing)" during his 24K Magic World Tour . The Glee episode " The Back-up Plan ", included a cover version of the song performed by Mercedes Jones ( Amber Riley ) and Santana Lopez ( Naya Rivera ). The 2015 film Pitch Perfect 2 included
4515-476: The Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn . The concert featured Hill's nearly a cappella rendition of "Killing Me Softly". The event was recorded by director Michel Gondry and was released on March 3, 2006, to universal acclaim. The Fugees also appeared at BET Awards 2005 during June 2005, where they opened the show with a 12-minute set. One track, "Take It Easy", was leaked online and thereafter
4644-470: The Billboard R&;B Albums chart for six weeks. It went on to sell about 10 million copies in the United States, and 20 million copies worldwide. During 1998 and 1999, Hill earned $ 25 million from record sales and touring. Hill, along with Blige, Missy Elliott , Meshell Ndegeocello , Erykah Badu , and others, found a voice with the neo soul genre. The first single released from the album
4773-464: The best-selling albums of all time worldwide and was ranked number one on Apple Music's 100 Best Albums list. Its lead single, " Doo Wop (That Thing) " debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 , and was listed as a Song of the Century by the RIAA. Its follow-up singles, " Ex-Factor " and " Everything Is Everything " both peaked within the top 40 on the chart. At the 41st Grammy Awards , she set
4902-591: The "150 Greatest Hip Hop Music Videos of All Time". The song's music video was Directed by Monty Whitebloom & Andy Delaney, Bigtv, and filmed in Manhattan's Washington Heights in New York City , with the video showing two Hills singing side by side at a block party. On the left side of the split screen, the 1967 Hill dressed in full retro-styled attire, complete with a beehive and a zebra-printed dress, she pays homage to classic R&B and doo wop, and on
5031-502: The 1940 Census gives Roberta's age as 3 years old). She grew up in Arlington, Virginia . Growing up in a large, musical family, she often accompanied the choir of Lomax African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church by playing hymns and spirituals on piano, but she also enjoyed going to the " Baptist church down the street" to listen to contemporary gospel music including songs performed by Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke . When Flack
5160-514: The 1993 release Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit , playing Rita Louise Watson, an inner-city Catholic school teenager with a surly, rebellious attitude. In it, she performed the songs " His Eye Is on the Sparrow " (a duet with Tanya Blount ) and " Joyful, Joyful ". Director Bill Duke credited Hill with improvising a rap in a scene: "None of that was scripted. That was all Lauryn. She was amazing." Critic Roger Ebert called her "the girl with
5289-476: The 1999 film The Best Man and later received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals . In November 1998, New Ark filed a fifty-page lawsuit against Hill, her management, and record label, claiming that Hill "used their songs and production skills, but failed to properly credit them for the work" on Miseducation . The musicians claimed to be the primary songwriters on two tracks, and major contributors on several others, though Gordon Williams,
Doo Wop (That Thing) - Misplaced Pages Continue
5418-493: The 30th Annual NAACP Image Awards . In May 1999, she became the youngest woman ever named to Ebony magazine 's 100+ Most Influential Black Americans list; in November of that year, the same publication named her as one of "10 For Tomorrow" in the "Ebony 2000: Special Millennium Issue". In May 1999, she made People magazine 's 50 Most Beautiful People list. The publication, which has called her "model-gorgeous", praised
5547-415: The 5-foot-4-inch (1.63 m) Hill for her idiosyncratic sense of personal style. In June 1999, she received an Essence Award , but her acceptance speech, where she said there was no contradiction in religious love and servitude and "[being] who you are, as fly and as hot and as whatever", drew reaction from those in the public who thought she was not a good role model as a young, unwed mother of two. This
5676-519: The 500 Best Pop Songs of All Time. In 2001, the song's accompanying music video was placed at number 71 on the VH1 list of the '100 Greatest Videos'. PopSugar named it the 15th most iconic music video of the 90s, while UDiscover Music listed it as one of the music videos that defined the 90s. In 2021, Slant Magazine ranked "Doo Wop (That Thing)" at number 20 on their list of the '100 Greatest Videos'. In 2023, Rolling Stone placed it on their list of
5805-516: The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, singing a duet of "Where Is The Love" with Maxwell . In February 2012, Flack released Let It Be Roberta , an album of Beatles covers including " Hey Jude " and " Let It Be ". It was her first recording in over eight years. Flack knew John Lennon and Yoko Ono , as both lived in The Dakota apartment building in New York City and had apartments next door to each other. Flack has said that she has been asked to do
5934-504: The Arts . NPR listed it as one of the 300 most important songs of the 20th century. The song was named as the 21st greatest hip hop song of all time by BBC , being one of the two only songs by a woman to make the list. In 2018, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" came in at number 13 on the "New American Songbook " list by Slate . In 2021, the song was ranked number 49 on Rolling Stone 's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. "Doo Wop (That Thing)"
6063-820: The Arts from Long Island University . Flack was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2021, Flack was one of the first inductees into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame . On March 12, 2022, Flack was honored with the DAR Women in American History Award and a restored fire callbox in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington DC commemorating her early-career connection to nearby Mr. Henry's neighborhood bar. On 24 January 2023,
6192-512: The Beatles . Flack was the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in two consecutive years: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" won in 1973 and "Killing Me Softly with His Song" won in 1974 . Flack was born on February 10, 1937, in Black Mountain, North Carolina , to parents Laron Flack, a Veterans Administration draftsman, and Irene (née Council) Flack a church organist (some sources have cited 1939 but
6321-455: The Century ", by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts ; and was named one of the 300 most important songs of the 20th century by NPR . "Doo Wop (That Thing)" was ranked number 49 on Rolling Stone 's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (2021). In 2023, Billboard named it one of the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time". The accompanying music video for "Doo Wop (That Thing)" won Hill four awards at
6450-512: The Fugees split to work on solo projects, which Jean later blamed on his tumultuous relationship with Hill and the fact he married his wife Claudinette while still involved with Hill. Meanwhile, in the summer of 1996 Hill had met Rohan Marley , a son of Bob Marley and a former University of Miami football player . Hill subsequently began a relationship with him, while still also involved with Jean. Hill became pregnant in late 1996, and on August 3, 1997, Marley and Hill's first child, Zion David,
6579-486: The Lauryn Hill they were exposed to in the beginning was all that was allowed in that arena at that time ... I had to step away when I realized that for the sake of the machine, I was being way too compromised. I felt uncomfortable about having to smile in someone's face when I really didn't like them or even know them well enough to like them." She also spoke about her emotional crisis, saying, "For two or three years I
SECTION 50
#17328011861756708-640: The US Top 10 with the hit song "Set the Night to Music", a 1991 duet with Jamaican vocalist Maxi Priest that peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and No. 2 AC. In 1999, a star with Flack's name was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . In the same year, she gave a concert tour in South Africa ; the final performance was attended by President Nelson Mandela . In 2010, she appeared on
6837-466: The US, that was written, produced and recorded by one sole woman. Hill joined Roberta Flack , Linda Goldstein, and Sinéad O'Connor as the only women at the time to solely produce a number one single, and joined the latter three women along with Valerie Simpson and Ellie Greenwich as the sixth woman overall to produce a number one single. It marked the first number one single by a female rapper, as well as
6966-403: The United States and more than 20 million copies worldwide. In the 1996 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll , The Score came second in the list of best albums and three of its tracks placed within the top 20 best singles. It won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album , and was later included on Rolling Stone ' s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time . The Score garnered praise for being
7095-705: The Workplace , inspired by a verse in the song. TIME magazine named it one of the "8 New Books You Should Read" in October 2021. US CD and cassette single US maxi-CD single UK CD1 UK CD2 UK cassette single and European CD single Australian CD single Japanese CD single Credits are taken from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album booklet. Studios Personnel Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975)
7224-558: The Year ; with her win for Video of the Year, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" became the first hip hop video to win the award, and made Hill the first solo black artist to win, and second overall following TLC (1995). At the Soul Train Music Awards , the video was awarded the Michael Jackson Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video . In 2014, musician Drake sampled the song on his single " Draft Day ",
7353-460: The album concerned her frustration with the Fugees; "I Used to Love Him" dealt with the breakdown of the relationship between Hill and Wyclef Jean. Other songs such as "To Zion" spoke about her decision to have her first baby (Zion David Marley, the first of five she was to have with Rohan Marley ), even though some at the time encouraged her to have an abortion so to not interfere with her blossoming career. Indeed, Hill's pregnancy revived her from
7482-553: The album's blending of the R&;B, doo-wop, pop, hip-hop, and reggae genres and its honest representation of a woman's life and relationships. David Browne , writing in Entertainment Weekly , called it "an album of often-astonishing power, strength, and feeling", and praised Hill for "easily flowing from singing to rapping, evoking the past while forging a future of her own". Robert Christgau quipped, " PC record of
7611-558: The bathroom stalls of hip-hop clubs." While growing up, Hill took acting lessons in Manhattan . She began her acting career in 1991 appearing with Jean in Club XII , MC Lyte's Off-Broadway hip-hop rendering of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night . While the play was not a success, an agent noticed her. Later that year, Hill began appearing on the soap opera As the World Turns in a recurring role as troubled teenager Kira Johnson. She subsequently co-starred alongside Whoopi Goldberg in
7740-504: The bathroom, on toilet paper, on the wall. She writes it in the mirror if the mirror smokes up. She writes constantly. This woman does not sleep". One of the few public appearances Hill made in 2008 was at a Martha Stewart book signing in New Jersey, perplexing some in the press. In April 2009, it was reported that Hill would engage in a 10-day tour of European summer festivals during mid-July of that year. She performed two shows for
7869-519: The big joyful voice", although he thought her talent was wasted, while Rolling Stone said she "performed marvelously against type ... in the otherwise perfunctory [film]". Hill also appeared in Steven Soderbergh 's 1993 motion picture King of the Hill , in a minor but pivotal role as a 1930s gum-popping elevator operator. Soderbergh biographer Jason Wood described her as supplying one of
SECTION 60
#17328011861757998-447: The ceremony, Hill broke another record by becoming the first woman to win five times in one night, taking home the awards for Album of the Year , Best R&B Album , Best R&B Song , Best Female R&B Vocal Performance , and Best New Artist . During an acceptance speech, she said, "This is crazy. This is hip-hop!" Hill had brought forth a new, mainstream acceptance of the genre. In February 1999, Hill received four awards at
8127-604: The depths of soulful heaviness by way of classically-informed technique—is not too easy to claim or make sense with the limited tools that we have in music criticism." Flack's minimalist, classically trained approach to her songs was seen by a number of critics as lacking in grit and uncharacteristic of soul music. According to music scholar Jason King, her work was regularly described with the adjectives "boring", "depressing", "lifeless", "studied", and "calculated"}; in contrast, AllMusic 's Steve Huey said it has been called "classy, urbane, reserved, smooth, and sophisticated". Flack
8256-417: The direction the world was headed, it also featured the singing of CeeLo Green and the signature guitar runs of Carlos Santana ). She was also nominated for Best R&B Song for " All That I Can Say ", which she had written and produced for Mary J. Blige . Also, her concocted duet with Bob Marley on " Turn Your Lights Down Low " for the 1999 remix tribute album Chant Down Babylon additionally appeared in
8385-571: The father remains publicly unknown. In February 2012, Hill performed a new song titled "Fearless Vampire Killer", during a sold-out performance at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C. In late 2012, Hill toured with rapper Nas ; her portion of the tour, titled Black Rage, is named after her song, released October 30. Hill has described the song as being "about the derivative effects of racial inequity and abuse" and "a juxtaposition to
8514-472: The first rap single by a woman to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; Additionally, it was the first and only solo hip hop song to debut at number one, until " Not Afraid " by Eminem debuted atop the chart in 2010. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" also became the first debut single to enter atop the Hot 100 chart. Furthermore, it became the third rap single by a solo woman to reach the top 10 and
8643-813: The first time. She increased the tempo and urgency from the original recording, but at times had difficulty in communicating with her band. Hill continued touring, including a set at the 6th Annual Jazz in the Gardens, in Miami Gardens , Florida in December. In Spring 2011, Hill performed at the Coachella Valley Music Festival , New Orleans Jazz Fest , and at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas . In July 2011, Hill gave birth to her sixth child, Micah, her first not with Rohan Marley;
8772-570: The group's breakout hit. Buttressed by what Rolling Stone publications later called Hill's "evocative" vocal line and her "amazing pipes", the track became pervasive on pop, R&B, hip hop, and adult contemporary radio formats. It won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals . On the album, Hill combined African-American music and Caribbean music influences with socially conscious lyrics. Newsweek mentioned Hill's "irresistibly cute looks" and proclaimed her "the most powerful new voice in rap". When she
8901-436: The group, she was frequently referred to by the nickname "L. Boogie". Hill's image and artistry, as well as her full, rich, raspy alto voice, placed her at the forefront of the band, with some fans urging her to begin a solo career. The Fugees' second album, The Score (1996), peaked at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and stayed in the top ten of that chart for over half a year. It sold about seven million copies in
9030-473: The latter part of 2000. In part, the case illustrated the difficult boundaries between songwriting and all other aspects that went into contemporary arranging, sampling, and recording. The suit was eventually settled out of court in February 2001, with Hill paying New Ark a reported $ 5 million. A friend of Hill's later said of the suit, "That was the beginning of a chain effect that would turn everything
9159-407: The lead on a Sherman Brothers song called "Freedom", which featured prominently at the opening and closing of the movie Huckleberry Finn . In the same year, she performed "When We Grow Up" with a teenage Michael Jackson on the 1974 television special, Free to Be... You and Me . Flack had a 1982 hit single with " Making Love ", written by Burt Bacharach (the title track of the 1982 film of
9288-450: The list of best albums and "Doo Wop (That Thing)" second in best singles. In November 1998, Marley and Hill's second child, Selah Louise , was born. Of being a young mother of two, Hill said, "It's not an easy situation at all. You have to really pray and be honest with yourself." In the run-up to the 1999 Grammy Awards , Hill became the first woman to be nominated in ten categories in a single year. In addition to Miseducation works,
9417-844: The live stage and performed in stops across New Zealand and Australia on the Raggamuffin Music Festival . Many of the songs that Hill had performed and recorded over the past six years were included on an April 2010 unofficial compilation album titled Khulami Phase . The album also features a range of other material found on the Ms. Hill compilation. Hill appeared at the Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa, California , in June 2010, her first live American performance in several years. An unreleased song called " Repercussions "
9546-522: The long run, pop lies are improved by vulgarity." Writer and music critic Ann Powers argued in a 2020 piece for NPR that "Flack's presence looms over both R&B and indie "bedroom" pop as if she were one of the astral beings in Ava DuVernay 's version of A Wrinkle In Time . " Jason King argued that she occupies a complex place in popular music, as "the nature of her power as a performer—to generate rapturous, spellbinding mood music and to plumb
9675-546: The mixed reviews and no significant radio airplay, 2.0 debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The album was later certified Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA ; and has received retrospective praise by music critics. Her song "Mystery of Iniquity" from the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Rap Solo Performance , and was used as an interpolation by Kanye West for his single " All Falls Down " featuring Syleena Johnson , leading to Hill being credited as
9804-576: The most significant new black woman singer since Aretha Franklin , and at moments she sounds kind, intelligent, and very likable. But she often exhibits the gratuitous gentility you'd expect of someone who says 'between you and I'." Reviewing her body of work from the 1970s, he later argued that the singer "has nothing whatsoever to do with rock and roll or rhythm and blues and almost nothing to do with soul", comparing her middle-of-the-road aesthetic to Barry Manilow but with better taste, which he believed does not necessarily guarantee more enduring music: "In
9933-459: The music video for Aretha Franklin 's single " A Rose Is Still a Rose ", and co-produced for Whitney Houston 's album My Love Is Your Love (1998). Her debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998), was met with widespread critical acclaim. Its release made Hill the first female rapper to both debut atop the Billboard 200 and receive a diamond certification by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); it remains one of
10062-439: The nominations included her rendition of " Can't Take My Eyes Off You " for the 1997 film Conspiracy Theory , which had appeared on Billboard charts, and Hill's writing and producing of " A Rose Is Still a Rose ", which became a late-in-career hit for Aretha Franklin . She appeared on several magazine covers, including Time , Esquire , Rolling Stone , Teen People , and The New York Times Fashion Magazine . During
10191-449: The only single by a female rapper to debut atop the chart until Nicki Minaj 's " Trollz " with 6ix9ine began at number one in 2020. While the song remained the only solo release by a woman rapper to debut at number one, until Minaj's " Super Freaky Girl " debuted atop the Hot 100, matching the feat 24 years later. It stayed at number one for two weeks in November 1998, making Hill the third woman unaccompanied by another artist to do so with
10320-506: The piano. During intermissions, she would sing blues , folk , and pop standards in a back room, accompanying herself on the piano. Later she performed several nights a week at the 1520 Club, again providing her own piano accompaniment. About this time her voice teacher, Frederick "Wilkie" Wilkerson, told her that he saw a brighter future for her in pop music than in the classics. Flack modified her repertoire accordingly and her reputation spread. In 1968 she began singing professionally when she
10449-551: The record for the most nominations in one night for a female , and became the first rapper to win Album of the Year . In 1999, Hill became the first rapper to be featured on the cover of Time magazine, received a President's Award from the NAACP for her humanitarian work, and released the Bob Marley duet " Turn Your Lights Down Low ". Furthermore, she produced and wrote Mary J. Blige 's single " All That I Can Say ". Her work as
10578-638: The remake for A Star Is Born (the movie was later released in 2018, with the part going to Lady Gaga ), Dreamgirls (the role of Deena, later played by Beyoncé ), Charlie's Angels (the part that went to Lucy Liu ), The Bourne Identity , The Mexican , The Matrix Reloaded , and The Matrix Revolutions . In 2000, Hill dropped out of the public eye. The pressures of fame began to overwhelm her. She disliked not being able to go out of her house to do simple errands without having to worry about her physical appearance. She fired her management team and began attending Bible study classes five days
10707-446: The right side of the screen, the 1998 Hill is shown in a homage to hip hop culture. Slant Magazine 's Paul Schrodt praised the "Doo Wop (That Thing)" music video, stating "The resulting split-screen music video is the most flabbergasting testament to what the neo soul movement is all about." The song's music video won four 1999 MTV Video Music Awards for: Best Female Video , Best R&B Video , Best Art Direction , and Video of
10836-531: The safety and well-being of myself and my family." Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer who topped the Billboard charts with the No. 1 singles " The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face ", " Killing Me Softly with His Song ", and " Feel Like Makin' Love ". Flack influenced the subgenre of contemporary R&B called quiet storm , and interpreted songs by songwriters such as Leonard Cohen and members of
10965-510: The same name ), which reached No. 13. She began working with Peabo Bryson with more limited success, charting as high as No. 5 on the R&B chart (plus No. 16 Pop and No. 4 Adult Contemporary) with " Tonight, I Celebrate My Love " in 1983. In 1986, Flack sang the theme song entitled "Together Through the Years" for the NBC television series Valerie , later known as The Hogan Family . The song
11094-560: The school. From 1966 to 1972, she was married to Steve Novosel . Flack is the aunt of professional ice skater Rory Flack . She is also the godmother of musician Bernard Wright , who died in an accident on May 19, 2022. According to DNA analysis, she is of Cameroonian descent. On April 20, 2018, Flack was appearing onstage at the Apollo Theater at a benefit for the Jazz Foundation of America . She became ill, left
11223-399: The sexes, but the overall message of the lyrics has been described as conservative. In terms of production value, Hill borrows heavily from elements of soul music and doo-wop , lending credence to the song's title. In its official album and single release, several of the song's lyrics are censored, though the original words can be found in the liners. The only noted semi-official release of
11352-807: The single " Praise Jah in the Moonlight " for her son YG Marley . Since the 2000s, her music has been frequently sampled by numerous artists, while Hill herself has been inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress , the Grammy Hall of Fame , and the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame . Lauryn Noelle Hill was born on May 26, 1975, in East Orange, New Jersey . Her mother, Valerie Hill,
11481-472: The single in the US, but limited-quantity physical formats were issued two months later, on October 27. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" became Hill's first and only US Billboard Hot 100 number one hit. It marked the first US number one written, produced and recorded by one sole woman since Debbie Gibson 's " Lost in Your Eyes " (1989). It debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first hip hop song by
11610-901: The song in the film, has remained an admirer and friend of Flack's ever since. It was awarded the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1973. In 1983, she recorded the end music to the Dirty Harry film Sudden Impact at Eastwood's request. In 1972, Flack began recording regularly with Donny Hathaway , scoring hits such as the Grammy-winning " Where Is the Love " (1972) and later " The Closer I Get to You " (1978), both million-selling gold singles. Flack and Hathaway recorded several duets together, including two LPs, until Hathaway's 1979 death. On her own Flack scored her second No. 1 hit in 1973, " Killing Me Softly with His Song " written by Charles Fox , Norman Gimbel and Lori Lieberman . It
11739-508: The song was later included on his 2019 compilation album Care Package . In 2021, Kanye West also sampled it for his single " Believe What I Say ", from his tenth studio album Donda . It has also been interpolated by the recording artist Lizzo , on the song " Break Up Twice " from her fourth studio album Special . The song's instrumental has also been used in freestyles by rappers DaBaby , and Jamaican musician Shenseea . Singer Amy Winehouse covered "Doo Wop (That Thing)" as part of
11868-404: The sound track of his directorial debut Play Misty for Me ; it became the biggest hit of the year for 1972, spending six consecutive weeks at No. 1 and earning Flack a million-selling Gold disc. It finished the year as Billboard 's top song of 1972. The First Take album also went to No. 1 and eventually sold 1.9 million copies in the United States. Eastwood, who paid $ 2,000 for the use of
11997-583: The stage, and was rushed to the Harlem Hospital Center . In a statement, her manager announced that Flack had had a stroke a few years prior and still was not feeling well, but was "doing fine" and being kept overnight for medical observation . On November 14, 2022, it was announced by a spokesperson that Flack had been diagnosed with ALS and had retired from performing, due to the disease making it "impossible to sing". On May 11, 2017, Roberta Flack received an honorary Doctorate degree in
12126-550: The statement 'life is good,' which she believes can only be so when these long standing issues are addressed and resolved." In June 2012, Hill was charged with three counts of tax fraud or failing to file taxes (Title 26 USC § 7202 Willful failure to collect or pay over tax) not tax evasion on $ 1.8 million of income earned between 2005 and 2007. During this time she had toured as a musical artist, earned royalties from both her records and from films she had appeared in, and had owned and been in charge of multiple corporations. In
12255-454: The studio with the goal of making a new album. Later that same year, an album titled Ms. Hill , which featured cuts from Miseducation , various soundtrack contributions and other "unreleased" songs, was released. It features guest appearances from D'Angelo, Rah Digga and John Forté . Also in June 2007, Hill released a new song, " Lose Myself ", on the soundtrack to the film Surf's Up . In early 2008, Marley and Hill's fifth child, Sara,
12384-455: The third rap song to cross 40 million listeners on radio; while it also broke the record for the most listeners on radio for a rap song, when it surpassed 46 million listeners on radio. On the R&B Singles chart, it peaked at number two for three weeks in November 1998. Despite reaching 50 million audience impressions on radio, it was held out of the top spot by " Nobody's Supposed to Be Here " by Deborah Cox . "Doo Wop (That Thing)" remained
12513-760: The top 10 in various other countries worldwide. In the United Kingdom the song peaked at number three, debuted at number one on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Chart , and has been certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry . According to Apple Music , it is one of the most streamed songs of the 1990s. At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards , "Doo Wop (That Thing)" won two awards: Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance . The success of "Doo Wop (That Thing)" and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill established Hill as
12642-517: The tour and passed out on stage during the start of her second performance and left the stage. She refused to provide refunds for angry consumers. On June 10, Hill's management informed the promoters of the Stockholm Jazz Festival , which she was scheduled to headline, that she would not be performing due to unspecified "health reasons". Shortly afterward, the rest of the tour was canceled as well. In January 2010, Hill returned to
12771-428: The track "Lauryn's Interlude" from her mixtape features Taylor performing a shortened, a capella version of the song. English girl group Little Mix also performed an a cappella take of "Doo Wop (ThatThing)", that same year. In 2013, Will Holland (billed as Quantic) released a latin version of the song alongside Ana Tijoux . Alicia Keys performed a rendition of the track during a melody with other popular songs at
12900-419: The uncensored version is in a 12-inch promo labelled as "(Album Version)" (different from the 5:21 version) at 4 minutes in length. In the United States, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 , making it the tenth song in the chart's history to debut atop the chart. The track became the first single since Debbie Gibson 's 1989 single " Lost in Your Eyes " to reach number one in
13029-554: The university choir. Her direction of a production of Aida received a standing ovation from the Howard University faculty. Flack became a student teacher at a school near Chevy Chase, Maryland . She graduated from Howard University at 19 and began graduate studies in music there, but the sudden death of her father forced her to take a job teaching music and English in Farmville, North Carolina . Before becoming
13158-432: The voice." Very quickly he arranged an audition for her with Atlantic Records , during which she played 42 songs in 3 hours for producer Joel Dorn . In November 1968, she recorded 39 song demos in less than 10 hours. Three months later, Atlantic reportedly recorded Flack's debut album, First Take , in a mere 10 hours. In 1971, Flack participated in the legendary Soul to Soul concert film by Denis Sanders , which
13287-436: The warmest scenes in the film. Hill graduated from Columbia High School in 1993. Pras, Hill and Jean renamed their group Fugees , a derivative of the word "refugee", which was a derogatory term for Haitian Americans . Hill began a romantic relationship with Jean. The Fugees, who signed a contract with Columbia / Ruffhouse Records in 1993, became known for their genre blending, particularly of reggae, rock and soul, which
13416-432: The year—songs soft, singing ordinary, rapping skilled, rhymes up and down, skits de trop , production subtle and terrific". In 2017, NPR rated the album as the second-best album of all time created by a woman. It sold nearly 423,000 copies in its first week (boosted by advance radio play of two non-label-sanctioned singles, " Lost Ones " and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You") and topped the Billboard 200 for four weeks and
13545-401: Was " Doo Wop (That Thing) ", which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It exemplified Hill's appeal, combining feelings of self-empowerment with self-defense. Other charted singles from the album were " Ex-Factor ", which has been sampled by Drake and Cardi B , " Everything Is Everything " and "To Zion". In the 1998 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll , Miseducation came second in
13674-582: Was "in decline". The following day, several reporters suggested that Hill's comments at the Vatican may have been influenced by her spiritual advisor, Brother Anthony. In 2004, Hill contributed a new song, "The Passion", to The Passion of the Christ: Songs . A remix version with John Legend of his " So High " ended up receiving a Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals . Around this time, Hill began selling
13803-439: Was 21 years old, Hill was still living at home with her parents. She had been enrolled at Columbia University during this period, and considered majoring in history as she became a sophomore, but left after about a year of total studies once sales of The Score went into the millions. In 1996, she responded to a false rumor on The Howard Stern Show that she had made a racist comment on MTV , saying "How can I possibly be
13932-399: Was a member of the track team, cheerleading squad and was a classmate of actor Zach Braff . She also took violin lessons, went to dance class, and founded the school's gospel choir. Academically, she took advanced placement classes and received primarily 'A' grades . School officials recognized her as a leader among the student body. Later recalling her education, Hill commented, "I had
14061-470: Was a record at the time for a hip hop song. Critically acclaimed, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" was named the best single of the year by Rolling Stone . It went on to win Best Female R&;B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards (1999). According to Apple Music , it is one of the most streamed songs of the 1990s. The song was included in the list of " Songs of
14190-513: Was a repetition of criticism she had received after the birth of her first child, and she had said that she and Marley would soon be married. In early 2000, Hill was one of the producers to share the Grammy Award for Album of the Year awarded for Santana 's 1999 multi-million-selling Supernatural , whereon she had written, produced, and rapped on the track "Do You Like the Way" (a rumination on
14319-459: Was also cited as a contributing factor. Hill began touring on her own, although to mixed reviews; often arriving late to concerts (sometimes by over two hours), performing unpopular reconfigurations of her songs and sporting an exaggerated appearance. On some occasions, fans booed her and left early. In June 2007, Sony Records said Hill had been recording through the past decade, had accumulated considerable unreleased material and had re-entered
14448-920: Was an English teacher and her father, Mal Hill, a computer and management consultant. She has one older brother named Malaney who was born in 1972. Her Baptist family moved to New York for a short period before settling in South Orange . Hill has said of her musically oriented family: "there were so many records, so much music constantly being played. My mother played the piano, my father sang, and we were always surrounded by music." Her father sang in local nightclubs and at weddings. While growing up, Hill frequently listened to Curtis Mayfield , Stevie Wonder , Aretha Franklin , and Gladys Knight ; years later she recalled playing Marvin Gaye 's What's Going On repeatedly until she fell asleep to it. In middle school, Hill performed " The Star-Spangled Banner " before
14577-446: Was awarded both Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female at the 1974 Grammy Awards . Its parent album was Flack's biggest-selling disc, eventually earning double platinum certification. In 1974, Flack released " Feel Like Makin' Love ," which became her third and final No. 1 hit to date on the Hot 100; she produced the single and her 1975 album of the same name under the pseudonym Rubina Flake. In 1974, Flack sang
14706-465: Was away from all social interaction. It was a very introspective time because I had to confront my fears and master every demonic thought about inferiority, about insecurity or the fear of being black, young and gifted in this western culture." She went on to say that she had to fight to retain her identity, and was forced "to deal with folks who weren't happy about that." In July 2001, while pregnant with her third child, Hill unveiled her new material to
14835-668: Was born. The couple lived in Hill's childhood house in South Orange after she bought her parents a new house down the street. Hill had a cameo appearance in the 1997 film Hav Plenty . In 1998, Hill took up another small, but important role in the film Restaurant ; Entertainment Weekly praised her portrayal of the protagonist's pregnant former girlfriend as bringing vigor to the film. Hill recorded her solo record The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill from late 1997 through June 1998 at Tuff Gong Studios in Jamaica . The title
14964-664: Was born. The couple were not living together, although Marley considered them "spiritually together" even while listing himself as single on social media. Hill later said that she and Marley "have [had] a long and complex history about which many inaccuracies have been reported since the beginning" and that they both valued their privacy. By August 2008, Hill was living with her mother and children in her hometown of South Orange, New Jersey. Reports in mid-2008 claimed that Columbia Records then believed Hill to be on hiatus. Marley disputed these claims, telling an interviewer that Hill has enough material for several albums: "She writes music in
15093-504: Was feeling at the time, even though I was documenting my distress as well as my bursts of joy." The Fugees embarked on a European tour in late 2005. Old tensions between Hill and the other members of the group soon resurfaced, and the reunion ended before an album could be recorded; Jean and Michel both blamed Hill for the split. Hill reportedly demanded to be addressed by everyone, including her bandmates, as "Ms. Hill"; she also considered changing her moniker to "Empress". Hill's tardiness
15222-477: Was first experimented on their debut album, Blunted on Reality , released in 1994. It reached No. 62 on the Billboard Top R&;B/Hip-Hop Albums chart but overall sold poorly and was met by poor critical reviews due to their management's insistence they adopt gangsta rap attitudes. Although the album made little impact, Hill's rapping on "Some Seek Stardom" was seen as a highlight. Within
15351-502: Was headlined by Wilson Pickett along with Ike & Tina Turner , Santana , The Staple Singers , Les McCann , Eddie Harris , The Voices of East Harlem , and others. The U.S. delegation of musical artists was invited to perform for the 14th anniversary of African independence in Ghana . The film was digitally reissued on DVD and CD in 2004 but Flack declined permission for her image and recording to be included for unknown reasons. Her
15480-429: Was hired to perform regularly at Mr. Henry's Restaurant, which is on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Les McCann discovered Flack singing and playing jazz in a Washington, D.C. nightclub. He later said on the liner notes of what would be her first album First Take noted below, "Her voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I've ever known. I laughed, cried, and screamed for more... she alone had
15609-490: Was inspired by the book The Mis-Education of the Negro (1933) by Carter G. Woodson and The Education of Sonny Carson , a film and autobiographical novel. The album featured contributions from D'Angelo , Carlos Santana , Mary J. Blige and the then-unknown John Legend . Wyclef Jean initially did not support Hill recording a solo album, but eventually offered his production help; Hill turned him down. Several songs on
15738-412: Was intended to make the music sound raw and not computer-aided. Hill spoke of pressure from her label to emulate Prince , wherein all tracks would be credited as written and produced by the artist with little outside help. She also wanted to be appreciated as an auteur as much as Jean had within the Fugees. She also saw a feminist cause: "But step out and try and control things and there are doubts. This
15867-613: Was leaked via the Internet in late July 2010, debuting at No. 94 on Billboard 's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (and peaked at No. 83 the following week), making it her first Billboard chart appearance as a lead artist since 1999. Hill joined the Rock the Bells hip-hop festival series in the U.S. during August 2010, and as part of that year's theme of rendering classic albums, she performed The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in its entirety for
15996-404: Was nine, she started taking an interest in playing the piano. During her early teens, Flack excelled at classical piano and Howard University awarded her a full music scholarship. By age 15, she entered Howard University in Washington, D.C. , making her one of the youngest students ever to enroll there. She eventually changed her major from piano to voice and became an assistant conductor of
16125-654: Was placed as the top song on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 's "The 90s: Women Who Rock" Spotify playlist. Former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama included the song on her "Day of the Girl" Spotify playlist, in honor of International Day of the Girl . XXL placed it among the 60 essential songs from women in hip hop. In August 2023, the song was ranked as the third greatest hip hop song of all time by Consequence . In October 2023, Billboard staff named "Doo Wop (That Thing)" one of
16254-620: Was production of an annual Halloween haunted house in East Orange. Hill also raised money for Haitian refugees, supported clean water well-building projects in Kenya and Uganda, and staged a rap concert in Harlem to promote voter registration . A 1997 benefit event for the Refugee Project introduced a board of trustees for the organization that included Sean Combs , Mariah Carey , Busta Rhymes , Spike Lee , and others as members. In 1997,
16383-470: Was released as an Internet single in late September. It peaked at No. 40 on the Billboard R&;B Chart . In 2005, she told USA Today , "If I make music now, it will only be to provide information to my own children. If other people benefit from it, then so be it." When asked how she now felt about the songs on 2.0 , she stated "a lot of the songs were transitional. The music was about how I
16512-443: Was the first solo single by a woman rapper to debut within the top 40. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" also peaked atop Billboard ' s Hot Rap Songs chart, making her the first unaccompanied woman artist to top both charts simultaneously, and remained the sole single by an unaccompanied female artist to do so, until it was matched by Cardi B 's " Up " in 2021. The song reached number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, and became
16641-408: Was used throughout the show's six seasons. In 1987, Flack supplied the voice of Michael Jackson's mother in the 18-minute short film for " Bad ". Oasis was released in 1988 and failed to make an impact with pop audiences, though the title track reached No. 1 on the R&B chart and a remix of " Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look Out (Here It Comes) " topped the dance chart in 1989. Flack found herself again in
#174825