Singer-songwriter Rotimi got candid about icon and his inspiration Lauryn Hill, revealing they grew up in the same neighborhood.
The 34-year-old appeared on the Rhythm & Streets podcast and revealed he was a fan of Hill, also stating how they had the same mentor.
“I grew up in the same town as Launryn Hill, so we had the same mentor,” he said. “I went to the same middle school and elementary high school as her. So, I was always following her footsteps ’cause our mentor always had me doing the same things as her.”
Rotimi remembered when his school inducted the “Killing Me Softly” singer into their Hall of Fame and yearned for the same accolade.
“I ended up being in the Hall of Fame as well,” Rotimi stated, adding his successful journey to fame was supposed to happen.
The interviewer pointed out how Hill dabbled in acting (Sister Act 2, King of the Hill) while pursuing her music career, and Rotimi followed suit (Power, House Party, Divergent).
The “In My Bed” hitmaker was asked if there was a dream collaboration. Rotimi said Lauryn was one he’d love to collaborate with.
“I would say my dream collaboration…so I got Lauryn, but I didn’t get Lauryn.”
The singer referred to his latest single, “Bestie,” where he sampled Hill’s backing vocals from “Killing Me Softly.”
This wasn’t the first time the singer used Hill and the Fugees in his music. Hill’s superfan used a sample from Fugees’ “Ready Or Not” for “In My Bed.”
Rotimi is from Maplewood, NJ, and Hill is from Newark, NJ. The two attended Columbia High School in Maplewood. Following high school, the gifted former Fugees member took a hiatus from her music to attend Columbia University but left after a year of studying once the Fugees’ “The Score” album sold for millions. Rotimi attended Northwestern University and graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in communication and a minor in Business.
“Bestie” dropped on Nov. 1.
