Miss Lauryn Hill, L-Boogie, is an extremely talented singer/songwriter/producer/actress who blazed a path to stardom on the strength of her works with the Fugees and the monstrous success of her solo album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" in 1998. When the album dropped, people lost their minds. It was fresh, it was purposeful, the phrasing and tone were flawless. One reporter said that what Kurt Cobain was to angsty white teens and twenty-somethings, Lauryn Hill was to their "urban" counterparts. I don't know if that's true but the album had definite impact.
In the time since "Miseducation" rocketed to the top of the charts; numerous pundits, pontificators, stans and fans have been awaiting (eagerly, angrily, insistently) some sort of follow-up, return to 5-Grammy-stature glory from her.
Ms. Hill instead faded from the spotlight (until recently) to birth and raise her children. Her ill-fated romance with Wyclef Jean and her complicated association with married Rohan "son of Bob" Marley have provided plenty of gossip over the years. Her erratic behavior, inability to show up on time (or at all) to a string of concerts (where she was either fabulous or a complete failure) and the speculation on the fatherhood of her sixth child have sent folks into a veritable feeding frenzy.
The judgments about her life choices, why she couldn't/shouldn't do one thing or the other... they're all kind of moot, no? It's her life, she's living it, and she owes us not one damn bit of an explanation. I watched all the "I'm so disappointed" tweets and posts telling her how she's "doing it wrong" and gave Le Bougie Shrug. I look at her life (what I know of it) as a learning experience.
Here's what her life has taught me:
1. Even the most talented women have a hard time picking the right men - Well, this has been proven over and over and over again. The list of talented women "done wrong" by their men is epic. Even if we just stick to singers, that should be a whole section on Netflix - Somebody Done the Girl Singer Wrong Movies. Aretha, Mahalia, Patsy Clien, Winona - we could be here for days making a list. One day, I'd love to explore why successful and otherwise genius women have such a hard time choosing lifemates.
2. You can't live for other people's expectations - Has it ever occurred to anybody that maybe Lauryn didn't want to continue to make cutting edge music? Or act? Or produce? Maybe she planned all along to raise a gang of kids? Who knows, maybe those children will be the next Wailers (as in Bob Marley and the...) Whatevs.
3. Some men just raggedy. No matter who their Daddy is: [Let's be clear that Papa was a rolling stone his darned self]Whether Rohan is the father of her sixth child or not, we do know he seems to have no problem slinging life seed hither, thither and yon while breaking all manner of vows and promises to the women he beds (I hope that Brazilian model has a diaphragm kissed by Jesus). The fact that he was so quick to hop onto social media and deny that this child is his... ninja, really? What. About. The. Other. Five? Jerk.
4. Maybe some people have just one blast of perfection in them. This is why we have so many one-hit wonders, sophomore burnouts in sports, etc. Maybe Lauryn only had "Miseducation" inside of her to share and that was that. Not everyone sustains greatness over time. Maybe some people just hit that pinnacle for a season and then they're done.
I have to admit when she announced that she was naming her sixth child Marley even though Rohan isn't the father, I had to sit quietly for a minute. She really is doing the utmost and one does have to pause and wonder if she has listened to any of her own lyrics lately? Le Sigh... it's her life. Do you, Lauren.
Any thoughts on Ms. Hill?
(p.s. I just went through and corrected all the spelling, etc. I guess writing posts at 3:00am isn't what it used to be!)
Any thoughts on Ms. Hill?
(p.s. I just went through and corrected all the spelling, etc. I guess writing posts at 3:00am isn't what it used to be!)
64 comments:
I love Lauryn and still listen to Miseducation. I don't agree with some of her choices and she probably wouldn't agree with some of mine. Whatevs. It's her life and she has to live it. As talented as I believe she is, maybe you're right in that she only had one great album in her. And maybe that was enough for her. So it should be enough for us too.
Another great post here. You know they say success can take you where character will not sustain u.
I think it is easy for us to judge from outside looking inside not knowing the whole truth. I have to say, she still has it though. I saw her in NY last year , several hours late but she brought the house down.
Number 1 is definitely worth exploring.
Excellent post! All these years I'd simply chalked L-Boog's uneven behavior and inability to focus and produce quality work to mental instability.
But: "Maybe some people have just one blast of perfection in them"... I'd never considered this until reading your post. Sad thought...
i like observation #2 & #4. i have always felt as long as a person is doing no harm to self or others let them do them. any lessons to be learned along the way will be more meaningful if allowed to just be.... L-Boogie, do you boo cause no one does it better!
Huge fan of Lauryn's music. Her life choices? Meh. No thank you.
When we stop trying to understand and explain genius, we'll be the better for it! People who write, produce, sing, act, play, invent, think in a way that is inexplicably profound have minds (and therefore actions) that are equally inexplicable.
That is all.
This is so true, this will explain MJ and the rest.
Lauren gets the Southern Blanket Cure-All phrase from me:
Bless her heart.
I'm rooting for Lauren, bless her heart. ;-)
Oh! I totally wrote my post without even seeing yours. The "Bless her heart" immediately popped into my head too!
People are funny. I wish Lauryn Hill will turn around one day to say, People 'I, my life, my love and my family are not your expectation'. She owes us nothing.
I dig both her albums. For me, both MsEDucation and the MTV unplugged albums were classic. I'm not interested in what she wears or even her family life.
And I always give people who call her crazy or mentally unstable a side eye. Like really? she can't just be a temperamental artist in a shitty contract lockdown? It couldn't possibly be that once she started having kids she stopped wanting to be viewed as some sexual symbol and so decided to just go out there creatively with stage costumes?
Who knows what crazy people are gunning for the the 'seed of marley' and trying to place some kinda unreal expectations on her offsprings head?.
I think a little differently from you on this:
We give 'genius' to much latitude, when in reality we all have it. we are largely just conditioned not to explore or exhibit it.
Yes, creativity needs space, it also needs chaos. It exists sometimes, in the intersection of the two, I contend that it is also the epitome of focus, dedicated work ethic and years of constant investment in a particular activity, knowing it so intimately that you then have the ability to not only question its rules but to also break them.
Genius? It gets put in a box when real life and real needs happen. :( Always makes me want to cry when I think about it.
If we all have it, then why do only a few explore it? And is there not something different about those who do?
She picked a hard path but if she likes it, I love it.
I think while we have NO place to judge her in any way; it is expected for people to have thoughts or opinions on artists that produce their art to reach people in a profound way? No one knows but Lauryn her motivation for the choices she has made in her life and career. But as we watch from the outside looking in we can see her struggle because it is the same as many in our society-- that no matter how successful, professionally-- they can't seem to find the same level of success personally.
I think #1 should definitely be a post. I have never been much of a fan for L Boogie. My inner clinician really wants her to sit on someone's couch or upholstered chair. Otherwise, I say "live and let live."
Six kids and no husband? I'm not judging but that's incomprehensible to me.
People were killin' old girl on her comeback concerts last year. Hell yeah she was late, she got an entire dream team to feed and clothe at the heezy. Said her voice didn't sound the same - she been screaming at all dem damn kids!
Let L-Hizzle live. If she really wanna come back, she'll be back.
I don't agree that everyone has genius in them. By definition it is exceptional and rare. I do believe we all have talent inside of us now whether it's genius level or not is going to always be up for debate.
Fromt he outside looking in, Lauryn has always seemed like a woman who was looking for something. Like there was a missing puzzle piece and she was hellbent on finding it. I hope she's learned that Mr. Marley is not that piece, at the very least.
A long time ago (in a conversation about Richard Pryor) my father told me to "love the art, not the artist"
Miseducation is a great piece of art
Nuff said.
There it is.
Better her than me.
I totally agree - #1 may deserve an entire week's worth of posts
There are some artists that we are always going to want to see return to form - Whitney is one, Lauryn is another. We're always going to wonder if A Different World will do a reunion show and why can't someone write sequel to Love Jones.
Love Jones 2 would be awesome. Who thinks Darius and Nina are still together?
That couple had midlife crisis breakup written all over them.
That couple had midlife crisis breakup written all over them.
Nuff said indeed.
And why couldn't I say it like this? LOL
Great post. As much as I would love for Lauryn to put out more music, that's not happening right now, and I get that. Lauryn doesn't owe us anything. I think some fans make the mistake of thinking they deserve more from a celebrity - especially when it comes to their private lives. It reminds me of when Beyonce and Jay-Z had their secret wedding, and some fans were upset that they didn't make some sort of announcement or release any pictures. They don't have to do anything of that sort. Back to the subject at hand - I wish Lauryn the best in whatever she pursues.
I gotta go with you on number 4. Maybe she gave the best she had to give and that was that.
Six kids tho???
Motherhood ain't no joke! And with half a dozen runnin around....shiiiiit!!!
You should write it!
For some reason no one ever brings up that she may have a mental illness, (bi-polar, maybe.) her behavior and choices post The Mis-Education album are mad questionable. The weird clothes, crackish behavior and lack of productivity made me think about something being off in her think box.
Her story is similar to D'Angelo's. (a similar post can be done about him) I was one of those people patiently waiting for Lauryn's triumphant return, reality set in and I thought, maybe we are expecting to much from her. Maybe she can't duplicate the artistry that she created with The Mis-Education record and is haunted by it's success. I know that sounds crazy but it happens. As you stated, some artist have one great album in them. The Mis-Educaton of Lauryn Hill is a classic and Lauryn is a legend because of it, her contribution to music may have ended there.
For some reason no one ever brings up that she may have a mental illness, (bi-polar, maybe.) her behavior and choices post The Mis-Education album are mad questionable. The weird clothes, crackish behavior and lack of productivity made me think about something being off in her think box.
Her story is similar to D'Angelo's. (a similar post can be done about him) I was one of those people patiently waiting for Lauryn's triumphant return, reality set in and I thought, maybe we are expecting to much from her. Maybe she can't duplicate the artistry that she created with The Mis-Education record and is haunted by it's success. I know that sounds crazy but it happens. As you stated, some artist have one great album in them. The Mis-Educaton of Lauryn Hill is a classic and Lauryn is a legend because of it, her contribution to music may have ended there
What I don't understand is why people keep holding on? Having hope in 1999 that she'll bounce back after kid #1 is different from continuing that hope and paying good $$ in 2011 expecting a great show only for her to appear hours late (if at all). Her behaviour is not due to artistic eccentricity - she HAS issues and her people need to deal with it. Her appearance in Brooklyn years ago sealed that for me. It was a free concert & I still wanted $ back for wasting my time (I think she was on #3 at that point).
I wish her well but I feel more for her kids and she and Rohan need a big cup of sit your hindparts down. This isn't back in the day where daddy can have kids in different villages and every one knows but doesn't talk about it. In the age of TMZ/FB/Twitter etc they BOTH need to be mindful of the fact that their kids are old enough to be affected by their actions and behave accordingly.
I loved that movie when it came out but after wearing the VHS then DVD out in hindsight there are so many red flags regarding their "love story" that I sadly have to agree with you.
Success not only "ruined" Lauryn Hill it also "ruined" the Fugees as well. There are no mechanisms for people in the spotlight to deal with fame or success. It is the reason why we see celebrity meltdowns play out in public. I am happy to have "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" and that's that.
I agree she may have only had one stroke of greatness Yes enjoy the art and have no expectations from the artist Don't waste time projecting what's next for someone else, when we can hardly do it for ourselves.
I have to admit when she
announced that she was naming her sixth child Marley even though Rohan
isn't the father, I had to sit quietly for a minuteOh Chele - your unique turn of phrase is one of my life's real pleasures!!!! i sat and howled with laughter when i read this!!!!!!! it lit up my entire week, this sentence!!!! hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!! okay, then! hope your quiet moment helped, LMAO!!!
eish, slight problem with the formating on the above statement....sorry, folks!
"Don't waste time projecting what's next for someone else, when we can hardly do it for ourselves." This right here.
Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers all day.
but they are artists, something tragic just has to happen lol
1) because we are conditioned not to.
2) Some things asome people excel in are simply not conducive or productive in our society.
3) Opportunity and economicsWe make the barriers to exploring our genius so high. How many Michael Jordans are their knocking about in the hood?. How many Oprah's?, Will Smiths and Denzel's, Nuruyev's, Darwin's, Einstein's e.t.c.?
You can show as much natural talent and creative genius as you want, but if you are not in the right environment or have the opportunity to focus or gain additional knowledge... then you SOL.
re: Malcolm Gladwell's outliers
Bill Gates wasn't just some computer whizz kid who dropped out of school. His parents were millionaires who helped sponsor a computer club at his school, when companies were still using mainframes.
Now how much of that access does Tyrone or Jason from the hood have to that kinda of genii grooming.
YES. :)
Exceptional ability - yes
rare - I disagree (respectfully)
IMO genius is nurtured into existence, we all have the ability but lack the opportunity.
Does her official statement change anything? :
http://www.lauryn-hill.com/2011/07/a-message-from-ms-lauryn-hill/
Hi-five CaliGirlED!
I agree with your 3), to the point of me almost coming to cyber blows with this e-ruffian the other day!
Nurturing, opportunity, economics, who you know, luck (if you will) definitely play a part in the recognition and public display of genius, but has nothing to do with whether or not you have it.
The album still goes hard. That's all I got.
Loved the CD.
She's been interesting.
I have never understood why women give their new born children last names of a man that they know is not the father---I am all for doing so if that man has taken on the child, but this does not seem to be the case.
She now has six kids and is probably not giving a damn about anyone's opinion now.
"Respect is just a minimum!" is still my line!
"slinging life seed"? Pure genius! I agree. Let her be. Her life. Her kids.
we have a philosophical disagreement. :)
I wonder, how do you explain or see genius? some people think its genetic...
I think Malcolm Gladwell's 'Outlier's: The story of success' explains a little of my thinking. This would make a fab discussion over tea
"How you gonna win if you ain't right within?"
About to make some tea right now, for my allergies though, they are kicking my butt! LOL
"How you gon' win when you ain't right within?"
"I wish her well but I feel more for her kids and she and Rohan need a
big cup of sit your hindparts down. This isn't back in the day where
daddy can have kids in different villages and every one knows but
doesn't talk about it. In the age of TMZ/FB/Twitter etc they BOTH need
to be mindful of the fact that their kids are old enough to be affected
by their actions and behave accordingly."
I'd like to deliver this message to Fantasia, too. Once you're a parent, the blow back from your screw-ups don't affect you alone. *sigh* My thoughts are with the children of all parties. :(
I loved the MisEducation album, since it's a part of my long and decorated high school soundtrack (and I don't care if I just dated myself). But watching the fallout between then and now makes me realize even more that fame is often not what it's cut out to be at all. Sounds like you have to make one too many concessions where you either lose your soul, or go stark-raving nuts.
I don't mean to interject here, but maybe what CaliGirlED was thinking is that genius and success are two different things and having the former does not guarantee the latter. A corporate analogy...Xerox invented Windows, the mouse, and the laser printer...they couldn't find success with a flashlight. They were the poster child for corporate genius. There are many human equivalents.
Regarding chaos, the reason many, once great, companies fail is that innovation needs a disruptive environment. The beaurocracy and layers of management of large corporations are at odds with this, and sometimes have corporate processes designed to kill it.
We can already simulate simple human thought with neural networks. There is also a ton of stuff being learned in neuroscience about how the brain works. I define genius as big, like Einstein and time and space, and I don't think that ability exists in everyone, regardless of nurturing or opportunity. I think some brains are wired differently. If you don't, how do you explain neuro phenomena like savants?
Apples and Oranges
Genius and success = 2 diff things?. Yeah, of course, they are also not dependent on each other. You still have to apply genius to some endeavour which we 'society' have placed a certain value on to be regarded as success.
Your definition leans heavily on science which excludes Lauryn Hill
Has anyone thought that perhaps the reason Lauryn is having so many children out of wedlock is because she doesn't believe in it? Maybe , just maybe, she's not a victim in this and she's living her life the way she see fit? Clearly, she isn't Christian/Marriage oriented. Why is everyone trippin like she don't know up from down?
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