Meet Lauryn Hill's Six Kids | Essence (2024)

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From Zion to Micah, the Grammy winner has accomplished a lot, but nothing greater than raising six beautiful, thriving children.

Today is officially Lauryn Hill Day, aka, the iconic artist’s birthday. The singer and MC has managed to maintain her relevancy and undeniable talent after more than 30 years in the industry, so much so that we clamored at the opportunity to ask her to be a headliner for this year’s ESSENCE Festival as part of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop (and the 25th anniversary of the culturally shifting Miseducation of Lauryn Hill). But as important as artistry has been to Ms. Hill, nothing has been more important to her than family.

“Everybody asks me ‘What’s your next move?’, and right now my focus is just being a good mother,” she told The Guardian in a 2003 interview. “If I could do that properly, I’d be really, really happy. If I could be half the parent that my parents were to me, then I’d be very happy. Like any woman on the planet who decides to have children, that’s an extremely important role. You have these empty vessels that you have to fill with all the information, and all the knowledge and all the proper tools for them to end up being happy, healthy, compassionate, caring people. That’s really crucial to me. So I love music, and I always put my 100% into making music, but now I have to put 200% into being a mother.”

Ms. Hill is mother to six children, and she stepped away from the spotlight to be present for them (among other reasons). Four out six of those children are adults now, and all of them are thriving thanks to the sacrifices she’s made as a mama. On her special day, learn more about her children, Ms. Hill’s greatest achievements.

Zion Marley

The very first of Hill’s children, and with former longtime partner Rohan Marley (son of Bob and Rita Marley), has had his name immortalized in song. One of the standout tracks on the classic Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is “To Zion,” which is about Ms. Hill’s journey to motherhood, making the decision to have a child when industry colleagues encouraged her not to, and her hopes for his future. Zion is now 25, and a father. He made Hill a grandmother in 2017, welcoming his son Zephaniah. While it’s unclear what he is into, late last year he did share the lyrics to the song “To Zion” with the caption, “I pray I never let you down! My purpose is only getting clearer.”

Selah Marley

The firstborn daughter of Ms. Hill and Marley, Selah, now 24, previously studied at New York University. She is widely known for her work as a model, which she’s been doing since 2011 despite her reportedly 5’3″ height (the face card could never decline). She has spoken publicly about the complexities of being raised by her famous mom, including being disciplined with a belt growing up. Ms. Hill responded to the controversy that revelation brought.

“We’re both learning and healing, and each of my children has a similar story and journey,” she wrote. “All of you in a rush to crucify someone, careful who you string up or nail up. You might have an extremely limited view of the actual reality. We all hate abuse and exploitation, sometimes in an effort to fight against it we can easily become the abuser, the exploiter, and THIS is what we have to watch for. No one is exempt from needing to watch themselves in this way.”

Joshua Marley

Hill and Marley’s second son, Joshua, like his mother and grandfather and many uncles before him, is musically inclined. The 21-year-old is also a father. He announced the birth of his first child, son Caleb, in 2022.

John Marley

The 20-year-old is a college student. According to his father Rohan, he’s enrolled at St. John’s University. When he’s not studying, he’s giving us major “drip” as the kids say, which is to describe fly fashion from the fellas.

Sara Marley

The last of the Hill and Marley clan is daughter Sara, who is just finishing her first year of high school. She, like the youngins of today, is a lover of TikTok, doing dubs of popular songs and remixes while showing off her inherited beauty.

Micah Hill

The youngest of all is Ms. Hill’s son Micah. He will be 12 this summer. For his birthday last summer, NBA star Derrick Rose helped him celebrate, taking part in an event to help him and his friends perfect their basketball skills. We would be remiss to not add that Micah looks just like his mama!