Lauryn Hill was told to choose her career over having her baby. She chose her son and wrote “To Zion” for him.
She was already famous with the Fugees when she became pregnant. In a 1998 interview, Lauryn recalled people calling her decision a mistake, but said having her son marked a decision she made for her own emotional and spiritual well-being.
Zion was born in 1997, and “To Zion” appeared on her solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the following year.
In 2025, that son released “Marching,” his musical response to the song his mother had written for him. Lauryn helped write and produce it.