Ms. Lauryn Hill made a rare televised appearance at the 2026 Grammys to pay tribute to both the late D’Angelo and Roberta Flack. Taking the stage at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena in a black ball gown and wide sunglasses, Hill sang part of her 1998 song “Nothing Even Matters”—which originally featured D’Angelo—before welcoming a nonstop string of artists as she led a sprawling medley of songs by D’Angelo and Flack. Watch a replay below.
For her D’Angelo segment, Hill was joined by Leon Thomas for “Devils Pie,” Lucky Daye on “Brown Sugar,” Raphael Saadiq and Anthony Hamilton for “Lady,” Bilal during “Untitled (How Does It Feel),” and Jon Batiste for brief bit of “Africa.” She then transitioned into Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” backed by a full band and Batiste, before singing “Compared to What” alongside Leon Bridges and Alexia Jayy, “Closer I Get to You” with Lalah Hathaway—the daughter of Donny Hathaway—and October London, and “Where Is the Love” with John Legend and Chaka Khan.
Hill tacked on “Feel Like Makin’ Love” before looking out at the sea of people and asking where Wyclef Jean was. Right on cue, the Fugees member rose from the crowd with a guitar strapped around his chest and walked onstage as they sang Flack’s original version of “Killing Me Softly With His Song” together. Once onstage, he and Hill transitioned into their own rendition of the single on The Score, getting a standing ovation from the audience.
In October 2025, D’Angelo died from cancer. He was 51 Although famously reclusive, D’Angelo helped define the neo-soul movement and was a revered visionary, influencing the genre not only in the ’90s with his solo debut Brown Sugar, but with the unpredictable jams of Voodoo the following decade and his surprise release Black Messiah in 2014. In the days afterwards, D’Angelo was honored with tributes by countless artists, including Nile Rodgers, Beyoncé, Jill Scott, and Hill herself.
Flack died in February 2025 after living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the neurological condition also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, for years. Flack‘s influence spread far beyond her single “Killing Me Softly With His Song”; she also mentored singers Donny Hathaway and Luther Vandross, founded the Roberta Flack School of Music in the Bronx in 2006, and received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2020. She was 88 years old.
Hill has long shared musical ties with both artists. She worked with D’Angelo on the 1998 Miseducation of Lauryn Hill track “Nothing Even Matters.” And the Fugees’ timeless reworking of Flack’s “Killing Me Softly,” for their 1996 staple The Score. won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals.
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