Lauryn Hill

There's a reason why heads from Watts to Harlem wanted Lauryn Hill on the solo tip from the very beginning. A few reasons, actually. One: Back in 1994, MCs with singing voices like hers were unheard; they've become more common since, largely because of Lauryn killing us softly with her song. Two: Lauryn's on-fire mic skills by turns political, spiritual, and comical arguably outshines those of her Fugees partners. Three: Lauryn was one of the first sexy, glamorous women rocking the microphone with rhymes as deep as her beauty was dazzling. The rap community at large couldn't have asked for a better emissary to rep them to the pop mainstream, which bought 18 million copies of The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill worldwide.