Who Is Lauryn Hill's Daughter? Everything To Know About Selah Marley
She claims her mother was abusive and her father was absent in a recent video.
Ben Houdijk / Shutterstock As the daughter of a legendary vocalist and the granddaughter of one of the most legendary reggae families in the world, she should have had the world at her fingertips. And, in a lot of ways, she certainly did.
But, as she recently discussed in an interview, she actually had a very hard upbringing that featured a distant and absent father and a violent and abusive mother. So, sometimes, money can't buy everything — and it certainly can't buy happiness.
Who is Lauryn Hill's daughter, Selah Marley?
Who is Selah Marley?
Selah Marley is the granddaughter of the legendary Bob Marley, who is considered responsible for bringing reggae music into the mainstream. She got her start in the entertainment industry as a model, doing campaigns for the likes of Chanel, Calvin Klein, and even Beyonce's Ivy Park clothing line. In fact, Marley made history when she modeled for Beyonce's Ivy Park clothing line, because she made the cover of London's Sunday Times magazine.
Who is Selah Marley's father, Rohan Marley?
Like all of the Marley children, Rohan Marley was involved in the music industry, though he wasn't as famous as some of his brothers, such as Ziggy and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley. Nevertheless, he was and remains very supportive of Selah Marley's career, and even said that she was a very "driven" model, which stems from even the day she was born. "I was driving through the tunnel, and I had to drive through the gate because I didn’t want to stop. I even went down a one-way road, and a policeman told me we should go to another hospital, and still went my way. I was determined to get us to a safe place — and her mother and I wanted to take her to a certain place, regardless of what was going on — so she’s truly a product of that kind of drive and determination," he said.
Who is Selah Marley's mother, Lauryn Hill?
Lauryn Hill is no stranger to the music industry. She got her start as the lead singer of the Fugees and was a sometime actress before striking out on her own with a solo career. Much ado, in fact, has been made about the fact that Selah Marley and Lauryn Hill look so much alike.
Selah Marley's mother and father had a lot of controversy surrounding their relationship.
Even though Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley looked like a match made in Heaven, they were, unfortunately, not meant to be. In addition to Selah, Hill and Marley had four other children — Zion, Joshua, John Nesta, and Sarah. But even though Hill would often refer to Marley as her husband, they never legally married. Marley has two other children from other relationships — he has a daughter, Eden, from his first marriage to his college sweetheart, and has another daughter named Maria from his current wife, former model Barbara Fialho.
Selah Marley claimed her Lauryn Hill was violently abusive.
In a recent Instagram Live story, which you can watch above, Selah Marley revealed that her mother, Lauryn Hill, was violent and abusive. She said that she would frequently receive spankings from her mother and even compared her mother's discipline to slavery.
She also claimed Rohan Marley was "absent."
Despite seeming to be supportive of his daughter and her career, Rohan Marley was actually absent for most of her life, according to Selah Marley. "I came to the conclusion of how much of my life I’ve f**ked up and how much of me is f**ked up simply because my dad just wasn’t around. And there’s just a void where there should be a person. And it’s honestly really hard," she said.
Rohan Marley has since issued a statement.
In a statement released to the press, Rohan Marley apologized for causing Selah Marley any pain. "Selah’s expression on Instagram is a healing process for her. I’m very happy that she is fearless in her expression. I love her very much and do apologize for any contributions I may have added by arguing in front of her as a child. I’ve grown as a man, a spiritual being and a father. I am constantly growing and will teach my children to always take the higher road in any disagreements. I will be there for her no matter how many hours, days, months or years it will take. I will be the best Dad that I can be. One Love," he said.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.