“Believe me! Frontin jiggaz give me heebie-jeebies. So while you imitatin’ Al Capone.I’ll be Nina Simone, and defecatin’ on your microphone… Ready or not, here I come, you can’t hide Gonna find you, and take it slowly Ready or not, here I come, you can’t hide Gonna find you, and make you want me.” Lauryn Hill as part of The Fugees, “Ready or Not”, The Score, 1996.
JUSTICE. I saw today’s DDR title on a bumper-sticker yesterday. It seems to be a befitting lesson in the education of Lauryn Hill. My introduction to her was in 1992. I was a freshman at UGA, and “As the World Turns” was one of my soap opera favorites. Hill played “Kira Johnson”, a troubled runaway. An illiterate troubled runaway at that…who had also been abused. As I write this I realize more how her story was a hip hop story. It was a story of an urban kid that clearly lacked certain resources, but was given a chance once “investors” saw her potential. It was also a story that I could relate to. No, I wasn’t a “troubled teen”. But I was a “teen who had troubles”. I was black like Lauryn. Dark skinned to be exact. My hair was course like Lauryn, and although I did well in school the fact that I was from a single-parent home made many consider me more of a statistic just waiting to become a stereotype…sort of like Lauryn’s character. I rooted for Kira, and I rooted for Lauryn. Really it was a way for me to root for myself and all the other dark-chocolate thick-haired sisters that got little love in the mainstream. Then all of a sudden she was gone, and I saw her in the video for MC Lyte’s “Georgy Porgy” (1991), later seeing her in 1994 emerge as an MC on “Nappy Heads (Mona Lisa)” from The Fugees first album Blunted on Reality. She later came with a dreadlocked soul on The Score. Selling over 15 million albums, it was an amalgamation of jazz, reggae, rap, and hip-hop that introduced me to a variety of cultural influences – particularly Haitian influences that I didn’t learn about in formal school. Lauryn brought a sweet glamour on The Score. She made being dark-skinned commercial. She made having thick haired dreadlocks mainstream. Her flow was contagious when she ran around in 4-inch heels looking fly spitting lyrics of a vivid spiritual consciousness (“How Many Mics”); commentaries steeped in truth, character, and ethics (“The Mask”); vulnerable narratives on loving and being loved (“Killing Me Softly” and “No Woman No Cry”); and scathing opinions on guns, gun violence, police brutality, and wack ass MCs (“Cowboys”, “The Beast”, and “Fu-gee La”). She was poised to change the world. And in many ways she did when we saw her in “Ready or Not”.
She made history. And she did it her way. Some say she bucked the system. Others criticize that the system bucked her. Either way we talk about her, and provide commentary about her absence, and wish – sort of like OUTKAST – that she’d get it together, and make another album. I’ve resolved that perhaps she never will again. Perhaps her contribution to society was made, and her focus remains on her family. Ok, I get that. But what about the fans, the listeners, the audiences that listened to her music to get through various struggles? Did L-Boogie leave us hanging? Does she OWE us a new album, tour, videos, and all the bells and whistles that come along with being an MC? Where’s the justice in bailing out? Didn’t she know the music industry was a beast when she decided to get in? I’m just sayin’…
The DDR: Think about your own life. What if you’re doing good at work, and all of a sudden you don’t show up anymore? You happened to ink the largest deal in your life, and then bail on everyone: your team, the CEO, and your customers. Assuming Lauryn Hill is a case for understanding RECIPROCITY, where is the balanced harmony in her falling victim to the very characteristics she rapped against? C’mon L-Boogie! We all go through it. What happened to her?
Tiffany Jennings Rencher
1 June
I think she reached a level of awareness that made the music industry, at least the business aspects of it, seem ignorant, and cut throat. For all we know, after winning all those Grammys, someone may have stepped in and took away some of her creative freedom, like a comedian who turned down 50,000,000 dollars. To a true artist I would assume that creativity and freedom of expression cannot be bought or sold.
So many times in our lifetime we have seen artist receive extreme notoriety and soon after they begin to actually look different. Lauren Hill has talent that cannot be duplicated, but so did Whitney Houston, so did Marvin Gaye, so did Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson. Always those whose talent to me seem to be jaw-dropping, or incredible always die or go crazy.
dailydoseofrealness
2 June
Tiffany I totally agree with you. The industry at that level is definitely a beast to deal with. However, I also think there was some sort of a mental breakdown layered on top of it because of the emotional highs and lows brought on by her relationship with Rohan Marley. I miss her because of the imbalance we have now in material regarding African and African American women. There’s nothing to balance out Basketball Wives, Mob Wives, Real Housewives, etc. There’s no one to balance out Nicki Minaj. Just Nicki Minaj as the lone ranger. BET had trouble adding nominations to the category of female rappers for this year because we have very little representation. My selfish side wished Lauryn Hill was in the position to balance out that area, but my empathetic side understands that no amount of money was worth sacrificing total sanity. Thanks for commenting
READY OR NOT: LAST DAY OF L-BOOGIE | THE 30 DAYS OF… DAILY DOSE OF REALNESS SERIES
30 June
[…] in June, didn’t it? Let’s recap and not forget what Lauryn has taught us. We learned that well-behaved women rarely make history and the importance of picking up our microphones and standing for something. Through Lauryn’s […]