Producer 9th Wonder speaks with student staff members at The HipHop Archive & Research Institute in Jan. 2018. Harold Shawn /Courtesy of The Hiphop Archive & Research Institute at Harvard hide caption

Clockwise from upper left: Lauryn Hill, Joni Mitchell (Blue album cover), PJ Harvey (Rid of Me album cover), Nina Simone, Ofra Haza (Fifty Gates of Wisdom album cover), Aretha Franklin. Courtesy of the artists hide caption

Lauryn Hill performs in New York City in March 2006. Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images hide caption

Nina Revisited, an all-star tribute to Nina Simone, comes out July 10. Ian Showell/Getty Images hide caption

Pearl Jam (top left), Missy Elliott (top right), the cover of Nirvana's Nevermind (bottom right), PJ Harvey (bottom left), Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel (center). Courtesy of the artists hide caption

Ms. Lauryn Hill performs at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Noam Golai/Getty Images hide caption

Lauryn Hill performs in January in Sydney, Australia. Brendon Thorne/Getty Images hide caption

Lauryn Hill performing on MTV: Unplugged in 2001. Scott Gries/Getty Images hide caption