Lauryn Hill has made a point of debunking misconceptions about herself lately, including setting the record straight about her past relationship with Rohan Marley. The musical icon recently responded to a content creator who had some thoughts to share on TikTok about what may have gone down in the years they were together and started a family.

The content creator, who goes by the name Mayowa’s World, shared her opinion about an interview Rohan Marley had discussing his relationship with Ms. Hill. She feels Rohan did the superstar “dirty,” noting that he never married the singer despite having five children with her. Meanwhile, he attempted to marry the next woman he dated, and tied the knot in the years after. Mayowa also described Hill’s music as self-deprecating during their time together, and suggested she was deeply religious because of her unhappy relationship. 

The Grammy Award-winning artist surprisingly addressed Mayowa’s theories with a lengthy comment on the actual video post. 

“I might agree with some of the self depreciation part, there are reasons for that, but while Rohan and I were in a relationship I was NOT being done dirty,” her comment started. “My upset had layers, my upset with him had to do with his unwillingness to confront HIS trauma in order to grow and keep our family together.” 

Hill and Marley began dating around 1997 and had their first child, Zion, that same year. They also have kids Selah, Joshua, John, and Sara. While they were never legally married, Hill often referred to Marley as her “husband.” It’s unclear when exactly they parted ways, but it could have been anywhere between 2009 and 2011. In 2011, she welcomed her last child, son Micah, whom she does not share with Marley.

In her response, the Fugees artist explained that they both came to the relationship with baggage they needed to work through.

“We don’t meet people as blank slates, they have pasts and past hurts,” she said. “Both of us were working through traumatic experiences and we met each other trying to help uplift one another.” 

The singer continued, “You may not think Bob Marley was a saint, but he certainly changed the narrative for generations of people suffering under oppressive paradigms. We should distinguish the baby from the dirty bath water and recognize that birth can be a messy process but on the other side of it is life. People may not be perfect on their walk but they can still battle with their own struggles and then make art about their battles and their victories that help liberate others too. I personally look to afford people grace when and wherever I can.”

In May, Hill also decided to set the record straight about why her relationship with Rohan ended, debunking longstanding cheating rumors. In the past, she has mostly been silent about her romantic relationship and her personal life as a whole. 

“For those who didn’t know better, @romarley never cheated on me! I remember the beginning when we were young, majestic, and uniting our worlds,” she wrote in a caption under a birthday post dedicated to him. 

The respect seems mutual. He speaks highly of the mother of his kids in interviews. In the past, he has expressed his regret about their relationship not working out. 

“I feel sad that I loved her so much and I faltered in expressing it to her somehow,” he said during a 2013 interview with OPEN magazine. “It was my fault that she did not understand how I felt, and it was sad that we did not work out in that relationship sense. I was heartbroken for a long time.”

Post-breakup, Marley proposed to Isabeli Fontana in 2013. They broke off their engagement, and he later married Brazilian model Barbara Fialho in 2019. They had one child together; however, the marriage only lasted a year. The entrepreneur got engaged to Maytee Martinez in 2025, according to her Instagram post.  

Author: Elizabeth Ayoola

Read the original article on Essence.