The audience cheers when talk show host Rosie O’Donnell happily presents today’s guest. It is the autumn of 1998 and the woman who settles down in the rust-colored armchair is the hottest artist of the year. At the same time as her songs parked on the charts, Lauryn Hill’s face can be seen on every newspaper cover. Everyone wants her.
Despite all the commotion, Lauryn Hill seems relaxed. She jokes with the host, flirts with the audience and talks passionately about her solo debut. NBC’s cameras zoom in on Lauryn’s flawless complexion and smiling eyes. She is wearing a t-shirt and leather skirt, with short dreads and large rings in her ears. Outwardly, everything seems perfect. 23 years old, she is a mother of two. She recently had world success with Fugees and now critics are lining up to pay tribute to her solo debut.
Lauryn Hill is seen as the future of hip hop and despite the fact that her album has just been released, people seem to be barely able to cope with what she will bring next. What no one knows now and then, this fall of 1998, is that Lauryn Hill will soon – completely disappear from the limelight. In fact, there will never be a new studio album from hip hop’s brightest shining star. Instead, the next twenty years will be dominated by speculation about divalates and madness – and the question on everyone’s lips will be: βWhat really happened to Ms. Hill? β.
P3 Music documentary about Lauryn Hill is about a female hip-hop pioneer and the price she had to pay for her success.
The documentary is made by Joanna Korbutiak in 2021.
Producer is Hanna Frelin.
Executive producer Axel Winqvist.
Technician is Fredrik Nilsson.
P3 Music documentary is made by Tredje Statsmakten Media.
The sound clips in the documentary come from the podcast Dissect, 1999 Grammy Awards, Live at the Apollo Amature Night 1987, It’s Showtime at the Apollo 1996, the movie A Worst Sister 2, the documentary Concerning Violence, MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 with Lauryn Hill, instagram account selahmarley, Fox5, as well as youtube accounts Time, Vlad-TV, Mike Willis, Before they were famous and Real Reality Gossip.