Lauryn Hill Talks Fugees, New Album, and Rumors
I know it’s fashionable to call Lauryn Hill crazy, say that she’s on drugs, both illegal and by prescription. I’m guilty of it. I dropped the off-center line the other day, which prompted the Lauryn Hill fan (tcphilosopher?) to post a link to a Lauryn Hill interview in the comments yesterday, asking for equal shine in the wake of Wyclef’s statements in the Scratch interview.
If you actually watch her interview, and really listen, there is no way you can continue to honestly believe Lauryn Hill is just out there.
The first three minutes there is an obvious feeling out dance thing going on, Lauryn not sure where the interviewer is coming from (friend or foe), not sure how much to say, or even what.. around 4:30 she begins to open up.
Lauryn Hill’s views about the tug and pull of commercial interests that uproot the soul of creativity, those views would be more easily understood if she would just hire a stylist.
In the picture above taken in 2006 (photo credit: Matthew K) she looks great and seems to be having fun. The Lauryn Hill we knew.
But this interview was after the show where she sported the trenchcoat. She was caught in all sorts of wacky shots.
You can’t blame photographers, even post show, the afro puff martian girl look is what throws everyone off.
Imagine if Mary J Blige took to wearing Madea-like housecoats on stage, singing about, “No more drama, here comes Mama.” Not only would she be laughed off stage, it would be, Mary’s sniffing coke again.. allegedly.
Was Lauryn Hill’s old look a part of the success that she didn’t want anymore?
“I can dress my damn self.”
Oh, no you can’t. Not all the time.
That Blackwell moment aside, Lauryn talked about almost everything except the new album, which judging from her reaction to the question is far from being completed.
A question about the legendary Rohan Marley also wasn’t in the interview. Only Wendy Williams would ask that, and it’s also why she would never get the interview in the first place.
These quotes are long, but of..
.. course you can just watch the interview for yourself.
You had fans waiting for so long for a new album since Miseducation, everybody’s been begging, ‘come on Lauryn just give us something.’ So are you ready now?
“There was a lot that took place after the first album. You’re young and you get an enormous amount of attention. A certain world dynamics and the politics of situtations. You just have to be very headstrong, very protected, because there’s often a lot of.. a lot that can force an individual to compromise. And for me to make music it doesn’t really make sense for me to make music if I can’t make something that doesn’t have a purpose.
So let’s say, I could have put out music 3 years ago, if there really wasn’t purpose attached to it I don’t know that I would have been interested.
I think the Fugees had the impact and the power that it did because we really believed in what we were doing at the time and we meant, if not everything, we knew there was something genuine and something purposeful about it, and the same thing for Miseducation.
For me making music is a labor of love and there also has to be an enormous amount of love in what I’m doing and a purpose.”
One of my sisters she had a hit back in the 80’s, Technotronic, had a hit “Pump Up the Jam” ..
.. She was 17 when that came out, that blew up and mentally it almost killed her.. How success affects people.. and the creation process.
“I don’t know if it’s the success itself, but how success affects people. I think that people react to money, power, fame, differently and it can be very dangerous. For me, because my peace of mind, my sancity, things that I did, they came from a very spiritual place so my environment had to be even more pure and sanctified then the average person.
Which when you’re in the Lion’s Den seems extreme, like ‘Why do you have to do things that way and you appear difficult, but they don’t neccesarily realize that your difficult, because A, what you do is difficult, and B, in order to produce something that’s really special it requires a very serious environment.
The same way scientists require a very clean laboratory and controlled environment in order to create what they do and the experiments that they do and produce the things that help society.
We know that open heart surgery you want to do that in the cleanest atmosphere possible. And when your dealing with people that make music and write songs that deal with the human condition, you’re really dealing with the human heart condition. And it’s important to do that in a clean and sanctified area.
A lot of the music we did tonight was Bob Marley. Bob Marley took what he did so seriously, for him it was a priesthood, for me it’s a priesthood. It’s not just, Let me just write this joint... I could do that! But for me to experience the high, it has to be something so connected, so much deeper than just necessarily doing it for profit.”
What do you think of the state of hip-hop?
“I see a lot of talent. A lot of potential. At the same time I see a lot of lost potential. I see a lot what can easily be exploitative. We can easily sort of trace black music back and watch the pattern. See how these black folks found this incredible music that comes from a place of expression and how it gets co-opted and compromised and bitten and appropriated and taken. My struggle has always been to prevent that from happening to sort of maintain the soul in everything that I can possibly do.
Compromise is a bitch, because once you get stuck it’s very, very difficult to untangle yourself. The reason why hip-hop had such a strong voice was because it was a defiant message for awhile. It was basically the voice of the voiceless.
Once you become the voice of the corporate you become a different creature.
The Fugee Reunion
“I don’t really know. I’m not gonna say never. I’m not gonna feed anything either.
I think the Fugees, first of all, I think that moment that we came together, the timing it was just a beautiful moment and we were able to do some really beautiful things. It was a special thing, a special time, also very necessary based on what was going on at the time.
As far as a reunion? .. I don’t have any answer.”
Keep us in suspense
(laughs)
☼ What's Your Opinion? ☼
I know you guys are having a field day criticising Ms Hill..i had the opportunity to work with her both on tour and in studio..She is a great believer of her works which is natural..she had graduated from The Fugee things..She just want to do what grown ups do when they realized they are no longer kids..In other word she is carving her niche and who can blame her for that?The make ups..am sure you guys havent seen The great Fela Kuti s singers and dancers..i also worked with this great Nigerian musician and these are perfect afro make ups..
As for drugs…music is drug..i belive she is high on music effects and not hard drugs…music can elevate you higher than drug..so to you critics…shut <la bouche>..all she need is your support..period.
Damn it’s hard watchin’ this interview. She’s living her “VH-1 Behind The Music” story right now.
We all need to pray for Ms. Hill. Her mind is forever gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DAMN!!!!!!!!!!
katela, I am a fan that has the opp to meet her. I listen to as much as I get. I hear “support her” Well meeting her once does not constitute knowing her and I can’t support and unproducing artist. It’s like having a sell phone that you love and it stop working. All your ‘love’ aint gonna make it work, so go get a new one.
At the end of the day it’s about the music. People are fickle and lose focus easily, we have many distractions.
I wish her safe return.
I know that we all hate that L-Boggie is not being herself but everyone has their trials and tribulations and thats just whats going on with her. I know its you guys job too get the celebrity info too the world “I mean thats what you do and the world wants to know” but she is a person who has made a style for herself a style that only she can rock. No one should judge a person by the material things that they have but by the soul thats inside and inorder to get to know the soul you have to listen to the voice. We all know Lauryn is a tru believer of her works which comes from the heart I think that the media should just leave her alone because the things that shes doing someone else is too but the only thing is their no a celebrity!! No matter what happens she’s always going to be my favorite Rappe/Actress/Singer/Poet/Philosopher etc.. I love that women she made me open my eye’s too the world when I was only 8yrs old and everthing that i learn from her I pass it down too others!!!!!!!!!!! Forever L-BOGGIE
We all need to stay prayered up about lauryn hill. becuase i think as an ordinary civilian we all dont understand the pressures of “celebrity.” and you know that rumor about neing a racist. that is all false. lauryn hill is a christian. and if she was she would have every right. blacks didnt hang people. we dont have a group called KKK. blacks are not the reason we couldnt enter stores. blacks are not the reason…....i could go on all day
I LOVE YOU NO MATTA WAT LAURYN BOO!!!!!
JUDAH
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE
YOU LAURYN HILL.
JUDAH
JUDAH
TO YOU LAURYN HILL - YOU ARE WELL LOVED
UNIQUE WOMAN UNIQUE HEART UNIQUE BEAUTY UNIQUE CHILD OF THE ONE TRUE AND ONLY LIVING GOD SAVED BY THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD CHRIST JESUS
REMEMBER THE BLOOD SO PRECIOUS SHED TO CLEANS AND WASH AWAY ALL SIN USE IS CONSISTENTLY.
FOR THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH. BUT WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD FOR THOSE WHO COME TO HIM MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS AND THAT HE IS A REWARDER OF THOSE WHO DELIGENTLY SEEK HIM. WALK IN HIS FAITH. AS HE WALKED IN THE FAITH OF HIS FATHER. (SEE WHAT HE ACHIEVED HE DESERVES THE GLORY AND THE HONOR)
SHAME ON YOU D…L YOU LOOSE ALL THE TIME)
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SEEN YET BELIEVE
LAURYN YOU BEAT YOUR ENEMIES AS FINE AS THE DUST. I LOVE YOUR MEDITATIONS IN THE LIVING WORD GO DEEPER CHILD OF GOD STAY IN HIS PRESENCE AND RECEIVE ALL YOU NEED FOR LIFE AND GODLINESS
LOVE YOUR BEAUTY GRACED BY THE CREATOR.
YOU ARE A TRUE PROVERBS 31 WOMAN.
MAY GOD GIVE YOU ON A DAILY BASIS GREAT SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT TO SEE THROUGH YOUR ENEMIES AND TO OVER POWER THEM WITH WORDS OF JOY WORDS OF WISDOM WORDS OF PEACE WORDS OF LOVE WORDS OF COMFORT WORDS OF REBUKE WORDS OF LIFE JUST LIKE JESUS DID. CHECK OUT WHEN THEY WANTED TO PUSH HIM OVER THE EDGE! OR WHEN THE ENEMIES OF GOD WANTED TO HAVE THEIR WAY WITH HIM! THEY COULD ONLY DO SO WITHIN THE WILL OF THE FATHER. THY WILL BE DONE O LORD THY KINGDOM COME….....................
TAKE COURAGE CHILD OF THE KING HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD. YOU ARE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR HE IS ABOVE ONLY AND HAS THE NAME THAT IS ABOVE ABOVE ABOVE ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL ALL NAMES..
LOVE UP SISTER AND STAY IN TRUTH, HUMILITY, RIGHEOUSNESS PEACE, LOVE GRACE AND GREAT GLORY. FEAR NOT! FEAR NOT! FOR HE IS IN YOU AND WILL BE WITH YOU EVEN UNTILL THE END.
MAY THE MIGHTY ANGELS OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD SURROUND YOU AND THE CHILDREN EVERYTIME ., MAY YOU HAVE THE WISDOM, POWER AND STRENGTH OF GOD TO TRAIN THEM UP IN THE WAY THAT THEY SHOULD GO AND WHEN THEY GROW UP THEY WILL NOT DEPART FROM THE WAYS OF THE LORD. (LIKE DANIEL, LIKE ANNA & SIMEON IN THE TEMPLE, LIKE MOSES LIKE JOSHUA LIKE THE THREE HEBREW BOYS, LIKE PAUL.
FULFILL YOUR PURPOSE IN CHRIST AND STAY IN HIM.
LOVE YOU LAURYN. LET YOUR SPRIT RISE IN CHRIST.
JUDAH.
YOU CAN DEPEND ON ME TO PRAY FOR YOU.
THIS WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT IS SENT TO ME. SO LAURYN I SEND IT TO YOU WITH LOVE. I HOPE YOU RECEIVE FROM YOUR PRAYER FRIEND JUDAH.
WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Dear Saints,
I pray that this word gives you much strength, encouragement and hope. As always, I thank you for your words of encouragement and prayers. It means a lot to myself and my team. It is clear from the e-mails, texts and calls that I have received that in this time and season people need answers and instruction as they are keen to get it right.
As I begin to weigh these things and pray I felt that the Lord telling me to ask the body to “ARM THEMSELVES”. And He directed me to 1 Peter 4:1-19 and in particular verses 1-3.
God is telling His Church to arm itself with knowledge and understanding. Arming yourself means that whatever calling you have, be it a Prophet, Pastor, business person etc you need to study what will protect, and strengthen you in your place of calling. A soldier that is going into war needs to know what to take in order to protect himself and equip himself for his duties, and we are soldiers in God’s end time army. Ephesians 6:13-18 explains this. Verse 13 says: Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. As soldiers in God’s end time army, we need to arm ourselves with knowledge and understanding in order to withstand the shaking that is about to hit.
This is not a time to be at ease or complacent, it is not the time to pamper the flesh or indulge in frivolities. It is a time to die to the flesh and come alive in the Spirit. It is a season to be sober, to watch and to pray in order not to fall into temptation. It is also a season of fervent love for one another and for the lost.
There is an increase in the hearts of the saints for identity in Christ to begin to show and He is releasing a sound. Although at the moment it sounds like a murmur it is growing. A murmur as people walk away from fleshly works. In essence people are trying to live by the spirit. There is an increase of the mind of God in the body. It is growing and I do want to encourage saints go deeper and deeper still. Go to those uncommon places and grey areas. Wisdom will come. Love deeply,
enquire deeply, seek wisdom and knowledge. Seek to understand Christ and His ways. Out of this understanding He will prepare us for what is to come.
Don’t be shaken by little things. Know that in Him you live, move and have your being. God is establishing His order. I also believe that people are putting their priorities right and there is a separation going on. Please be encouraged in doing that because all this is building towards something. Saints, be encouraged. Verse 7 states “that the end of all things is at hand”. What this means is that the crying out, praying and fighting against injustice will find answers. Things are coming to a head.
I would like to encourage intercessors. Do not be discouraged when you see certain laws passed. When you see things that you have prayed to stop go through. The Lord will allow that. He will permit certain things for a reason for He will not contend with man forever.
God lives in the heart of man for even the most wicked man knows how to love. Some of these things that the Lord allows to go through will cause a crying out from the depths. A crying out for change, for revival.
It will cause groaning for change even from unbelievers and there will be a window for an unprecedented harvest for souls. A movement of purity. A window of personal answered prayers, of healing, of the miraculous but the Body will be strong, mature and able to handle the persecution that comes with it. There will be a maturing, a strength, that comes because the strengthened ones will be able to raise others and to delegate to ones who can take care of the lambs that will come. And this new strength that is coming is based on the journey that people have been through. This will bring wisdom to delegate accurately and use time efficiently and effectively. Peope put in place will be able to raise others.
We have been praying for unity and it is working and is also very beautiful. However, take heed that it does not become a Babel system. Do not be discouraged or condemned if you are not part of a particular move of God. Support it and pray for it. As you do so the DNA of that unity will be a bridge causing the move of God to spread into different nations bringing healing. Saints eventually all the streams will come together as one. He is God. He will do it, His kingdom will not be fragmented. He will have His way. The body of Christ needs to be ready for the shaking that is coming.
There is a refreshing coming into the prayer movement where it is going to be imbued with power and invigorated by the Lord’s burdens. So if you do not feel specific burdens strengthen yourself in the word until His burden comes.
In this hour you hear of many churches closing down however I also believe God will bring financial release to certain places that He has chosen. He has seen your hearts and giving and will honour that. Buildings will be bought and paid for outright. He is going to remove the begging basket from the hands of His saints. These are events to come.
I also see the media paying attention to miraculous acts in the body of Christ.
Saints, lets pray together from Psalm 20.
I pray that God answers you whenever you are in trouble.
Let the name of Jacob’s God protect you.
Let God send help to you from the sanctuary and support you.
Let God recall your many offerings and sacrifices,
let Him savour your entirely burned offerings.
Let God grant what is in your heart and fulfill all your plans.
Then we will rejoice that you have been helped and we will fly our flags in the name of our God.
Let the Lord fulfill all your requests in Jesus Name. Amen.
I love you. We love you all and we are praying for you.Grateful for His love.
Rev Betty King
B.KI.M
SOUTH WING:
HERON HOUSE
109 WEMBLEY HILL ROAD
WEMBLEY
HA9 8DA
TEL: 0208 902 6610
http://www.bettykingministries.org
Hebrews 6: 15