Though celebrated for her classic contributions to music, Lauryn Hill has been a hot topic for all the wrong reasons in the time since her solo breakthrough ‘The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill’ etched itself in the history books back in 1998. Indeed, so-so performances, personal drama, and erratic rants about “the system” have plagued the former Fugees singer.
The latest, as widely reported, is the criminal charges filed against the 37-year-old for not paying federal taxes on $1.8 million earned between 2005 -2007.
Having earlier plead guilty, today saw mother-of-six Hill arrive at court for sentencing. Find out what happened after the jump…
From The Vault this week journeys back to the year 1998, when a newly-solo Lauryn Hill released her signature ballad, ‘Ex-Factor’.
Released during that year’s last quarter, ‘Ex’ was the second single lifted from the artist’s magnum-opus ‘The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill’ – an LP hailed by many as one of the albums ever released. Written and produced entirely by Lauryn herself – as was the case with the vast majority of the LP – it tells the tale of a draining relationship from which the singer wants. Due to their rather public fall-out (over Hill going solo) the song’s theme caused the masses to question whether she was referring to ex-boyfriend and former collaborator Wyclef Jean.
The track, which is built around a sample of Wu Tang Clan‘s ‘Can It Be All So Simple’, though not as successful as its #1 predecessor ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’ still managed to peak at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 on the Billboard R&B and fared even better on the UK tally where it charted at #4.
The Malik Sayeed directed visual does a great job capturing the moody vibe of the song and illustrating the dynamic of the fragile relationship relayed in the lyrics. It’s little wonder, then, that the clip is still a regular on music channels.
Undeniably, Hill’s fans have been waiting for a proper follow-up to the masterpiece that is ‘The Miseducation’. Judging by the quality of some of modern music, we’d say the industry is in need of another release from the singer-rapper. The rise of artists such as the late Amy Winehouse, Adele (two of the best selling artists of the last 10 years) and Gotye (‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ is among the best-selling digital singles of all time) has proven that the world is still hungry for real talent whose output concentrates on the music and the music only. Also, Lauryn’s ‘thing’ was never about gimmicks, rent-a-rappers or jumping on the latest musical bandwagon, just some pristine art in musical form. We feel like, with the right set of songs, Ms. Hill could be back on top in no time, but the question is, do you?
Can Lauryn Hill achieve a comeback in today’s day and age?
For years many awaited Lauryn Hill‘s return, following a decade spent living away from the public eye to raise her family.
Then, in the middle of last year, the vocalist returned to the stage delivering a number of well received sets at festivals around the USA- and dates in and around Europe.
However, just when her career seemed to be finding its footing, today saw a spanner thrown in her works. Reports claim she may be headed to jail for not paying taxes in the years 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Taxes, that add up to become a whopping $1.5 million.
Now she has responded to the claims with a chilling open letter, shedding light on what she purports to be a dangerous music industry.
Earlier this morning, Funkmaster Flex shocked fans when he openly vowed to ‘tear Nicki Minaj’ down for not performing at Summerjam 2012, the event organized by his radio station Hot 97.
Now, in her defense, fellow Rap queen has released a statement weighing in on the situation, supporting her decision to walk away from what many saw as a dangerous situation.
Reclusive star Lauryn Hill made a rare televised appearance this week, when she took to the stage on the ‘Late Show With Jimmy Fallon’. There, the mother of five paid homage to the late, great Bob Marley – the grandfather of her children (with Rohan Marley).
Check out one legend tribute another below, as Hill covers ‘Chances Are’ and ‘You Could Be Loved’…
Check out the official tracklisting of Marsha Ambrosius’ new album, ‘Late Nights & Early Mornings’. Preceded by the lead single ‘Hope She Cheats on You (With A Basketball Player)’, the LP features writing and production credits from Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, Focus… and Just Blaze among others.
Lauryn Hill sat down with Toure on Fuse after her performances at Rock The Bells to explain why she decided to leave the music scene for so long. The lyrical mastermind elaborated that her decision was related to her children and that now she is finally ready to express herself musically once again. Check out what Hill had to say below:
Murder INC’s Irv Gotti has long been renown for not holding his tongue. Ironically, the once-influential label head will no doubt set tongues wagging with his latest statements. For in a recent interview with VIBE, Gotti claims that “Nicki Minaj is just as talented as Lauryn Hill“.
The elusive Lauryn Hill did a rare interview with NPR recently. The music icon spoke candidly about a wide range of topics including why she hasn’t released new music in quite some time and why she finally decided to return to the stage. Peep what Hill had to say below:
This week’s classic From The Vault video is Lauryn Hill‘s 1998 smash ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’. As the first single from Hill’s critically and commercially successful ‘Miseducation…’ LP, the song and its accompanying video sky-rocketed the former Fugees front-woman to super-stardom. Some 12 years (yes 12 years) later, this visually looks just as good if not better than some of today’s videos. What’s more, the song still goes hard. Classic.
Despite dividing two of Hip-Hop’s biggest fan bases (the #Barbz and #Hotties), the headline-grabbing beef between Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj did do something good as it underscored the commercial viability of female Rap.
