An R&B superstar popped up in an unexpected place this weekend when New Jersey’s own Ms. Lauryn Hill gave a surprise performance at Beardfest, an annual music and arts gathering in Hammonton.

Hill’s son, Zion Marley, was billed high on the lineup and, according to festival team member Nik Greeley, she took the stage during a performance of his 2025 single “Marching.” Marley’s song samples the hook of Hill’s own “To Zion” from her classic LP The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, a song she wrote for him when he was a newborn. Together, mother and son went on to perform “To Zion,” as well as “Lost Ones,” “Doo Wop (That Thing),” and the cover of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song” that helped make Hill famous during her time with The Fugees.

Greeley says the collab made it “quite a historic weekend” for this festival that’s been building momentum and a dedicated following for 13 years. Originally founded as a weekend getaway for the fusion ensemble Out Of The Beardspace and their jam scene peers, it’s grown over time to be inclusive of an array of genres; this year featured folk from Sug Daniels, soul from Fawziyya Heart, synthy punk from Gloss, and modern rock from Koser.

Beardspace was the backing band for Marley and Hill, and provided another angle of connection: the band’s Sam Gutman and Zach LoPresti are members of Hill’s touring band, playing keys and guitar respectively; they also play with Zion Marley and his brother YG Marley.

Christian McBride: “Head Bedlam” (Recorded Live for World Cafe)