Ms Lauryn Hill's Unsung Music Story: Battle with the Music Industry and Her Legacy

we should never be comfortable where we are you know we should always be aspiring to to know more and to better ourselves and to prove ourselves because that's how we improve the world around us you know you may not touch a gazillion lives but you can light up your own space [Music] [Music] hello everybody welcome to the impressive channel this music documentary profiles the career of the recording artist Lauryn Hill Lauryn Hill is a rapper singer writer producer and an actress who has made an astounding imprint on hip hop and R&B music she awakens social consciousness with her compelling lyrics and move audiences with her soulful voice she is responsible for creating one of the highest selling and most acclaimed hip hop R&B albums of all time The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill her musical gift intellect creativity and overall sincerity inspired many and continues to spire many today Lauryn Hill's musicality was honed at an early age her eclectic upbringing allowed her to be introduced to a variety of music I grew up around a lot of music I mean like Spanish it's Horace who some people you know wouldn't even know people like Gilberto and Jose Feliciano I had a lot of influences you know like Stevie Wonder Marvin Gaye Donny Hathaway you know little Bob Marley Stevie Wonder's songs the key life the whole album I remember hearing is that she lovely and you know and pretending to iron you know so from a very young age it was a lot of music by listening you know I mean I grew an appreciation for certain musical philosophies and ideas and concepts besides music Lauryn was into other things like acting athletics and dancing Lauren loved to perform and she decided to take her talents to the Apollo stage she soon found out that the Apollo was not a welcoming environment [Music] the audience booed 13-year old Lauren as she struggled to sing Jackson 5's who's loving you lauren fought through the heckling and finished off strong luckily the experience as a whole did not discourage Lauren from singing be there for you like you've been there for me the thousand times in high school she joined a hip-hop music group the group was founded by her eccentric Haitian friend Pross I started the Fugees it was myself just going there mossy and then she introduced me to Lauryn Hill there was actually me two girls me Marcy and Lauren why should have didn't get into the group to a year and a half later first one I met prize in high school and prize Wow he's the only guy I know in high school with a pinkie ring and and I remember when I first met him you said you know Lauren [Music] he introduced me to his cousin Wyclef and you know he he walk into the studio and he had on like a an entire Batman uniform buckles on his boots and he was just very dramatic and you know we made good music Laura and proses group made a few adjustments one of their original members Marcy left the group and Wyclef John came in as a permanent member they named their group the translator crew which later on became the Fugees short for Refugees Lauren was initially brought into the group to sing hooks on songs but she eventually started rapping lauren had a deeper message she wanted to convey and she saw hip-hop as the perfect outlet to do it I think I chose to become a rapper because you know I had a lot of things that I wanted to say and at that point you know R&B music wasn't really being used to make any statements it was hip-hop Lauryn cross and Wyclef pursued their music career with fervor they recorded demos and landed a few gigs while still balancing school their hard work and talent ended up paying off because they were offered record deals by three different labels we had three other deals on the table so Jimmy gave us an offer no jive gave it gave us an offer and everyone else offered was really high and Colombia was the lowest one I'm tomorrow extremely low the Fugees ended up signing with roughhouse records which was under Colombia and Sony even though roughhouse offered the least amount of money the group made a mutual decision to Sai with the label because the label executives supported their direction as a group and the label was seemingly more in tune with the hip-hop culture as a whole around this time Lauryn Hill had another exciting endeavor on her plate acting Lauren had prior acting experience doing plays and appearing on the soap opera as the world turns but in 1993 she had the golden opportunity to star in a movie alongside Whoopi Goldberg called sister act 2 my first major film was a sister act to Whoopi Goldberg directed by Bill Duke I never realized how significant sister act 2 was to so many young children Lauren's performance and sister act 2 drew the attention of many including a major star Michael Jackson music executive Jerry greenberg revealed that Michael wanted to sign her to his sub label mjj records Jerry said in an interview Michael called me up in the middle of the night and said Jerry did you see sister act 2 I said no he said there's a girl in the movie that you have to see it was the lead singer of The Fugees Lauryn Hill he said I want to sign her I knew who managed the group so I called him and said Michael I found out she's in a group called The Fugees but I spoke to their manager and if the first record doesn't happen I think she would love to do a solo record with us The Fugees first record did happen in 1994 they released their first album blunted on reality which spawned three singles [Music] but I get a date on Friday you're busy I wouldn't mind taking Saturday [Music] blunted on reality was a good effort from the Fugees considering it was their first project the lyricism and content was strong but the reception was weak the musical sound was slightly dated because the album was released almost two years after it was created around that time hip hop was rapidly evolving blunted on reality sold a shockingly low number in the first week yeah we sold about at that time around 12 copies 12 copies nobody bought the album so 12 people did we've been a street like hey you wanna autograph no okay all right bye the album managed to sell a few thousand copies but rough house and Columbia Records were dissatisfied with the numbers The Fugees almost got dropped from their label but their team fought for them to stay on the Fugees were grateful for the second chance and they gained new motivation to prove themselves they knew that in order to make a stamp in hip-hop they had to set the trend not adapt to the trend this would be a fun challenge for them Lauryn Hill had an additional challenge that Peraza and Wyclef didn't have she had to learn how to navigate the ropes as a female rapper in a male-dominated genre she was an essential part of the Fugees with a powerful voice and an unmatched lyrical gift however she had to work harder to receive the same acknowledgement as her male peers I remember doing interviews with the guys and you know and the interviewer would be like you know down by cliff tell us about your thoughts on the world prize what do you think of hip-hop as an industry Lauren what is your favorite color of lipstick I'd be like oh now women a hip-hop is not important and I see I know that a lot of strong female MCS whether or not they got the you know the acknowledgement that they should have they've always been there and just now know perhaps some I like rage but its first female out and that goes platinum hopefully maybe they'll truly be acknowledged my there seems to be a lot of rules today making riddles busting schisms coughing isms in all the infinite wisdom of the great one elated one debated one Ummah I deflated one too many ego several as I go for solos talking like the Beast I rise in the east said if you would meet you'll be deceased it was clear that Lauren could hold her own in a freestyle and rap with the best of them but Lauren also had an equally impressive gift singing her vocals would be one of the highlights of the Fugees next album the score [Music] and [Music] to me with only a 135 thousand dollar budget the Fugees worked on to score and they wrote and produced every song using mostly live instruments they blended old-school samples with new-school sounds and created a unique masterpiece the score would far surpass their first record blunted on reality the album generated three massive hits including their first single Fuji la their next single was killing me softly which was a remake of Roberta flacks record killing me softly with his song this would be an unlikely yet groundbreaking hit for the Fugees kill him a softy got leaked some Wrexham radio station stop playing it wouldn't even want to release that Rocky just came out okay [Music] killing me stop Lauren sweet soulful vocals shined on the poplar track and it drew in many music fans the song peaked to number one on multiple charts and gave the score a huge boost in sales their third single was ready or not which was also a big success ready or not here I come in a year's time the score sold 6 million copies in the US alone in the myth of the Fuji success came some controversy reports circulated that Lauren made inflammatory comments about white people saying that she would rather die than for them to listen to her music Lauren Hill cleared up the rumors on Howard Stern's radio show and said that it was absolutely not true I'm anti destructive social situations that cause high ability and anger in the ghetto are you against white people buying your music no no no the Fugees bypassed the controversy and continued performing and creating music they created another hit song for the movie love Jones led by Lauryn Hill called the sweetest thing [Music] sweet sweet [Music] Lauren took a step in a solo direction and collaborated with the rapper Nas The Fugees won two Grammys including Best R&B performance and Best Rap Album surprisingly enough The Fugees disbanded during the height of their success according to Lauren's former manager Jason Jackson Lauren wanted to go solo due to some conflict within the group the record label was not too pleased with the idea of Lauren doing a solo record because they wanted her to do another Fugees record but she wanted some creative freedom you know I had intended to be in the group forever until I found myself in circumstances where I felt the in her desire to express myself freely and openly without any constraint you know without anybody saying hey that's you can't say that that's not that's not flooded I can't say that people you know what I mean so you know the only way I could have done that wasn't doing a solo release creative freedom wasn't the sole reason why the group split up conflict between Lauren and Wyclef helped cause the split Lauren and Wyclef developed a romantic relationship while spending time together in the studio Wieck left pursuit of Lauren and they started dating right at that time it was more of a Muse type of relationship if I was to put it like in a metaphor it's almost like I was in heaven and I was an angel and then God was like yo man go to earth and you see this woman here she do not fall in love with her and man a year later man you like God man I heard what you said this human being looked too beautiful to let that happen the relationship took a turn when Wyclef married another woman named Marie Claude Annette even though Wyclef was married he still pursued Lauren and unfortunately Lauren came to his advances the relationship was an emotional rollercoaster for them both Wyclef revealed in his book purpose that they sometimes would get into huge fights Pras strongly disapproved of their relationship from the start process I go man clef was the cancer the Fugees you know you shouldn't mess with the girl matter of fact did not warn you about messing with the girl in 1996 Lauren moved on from Wyclif and started dating Rohan Marley Rohan was a football player and he was the son of the legendary Bob Marley an interesting fact Rohan was introduced to lauren through Wycliffe according to him in 1997 Laurie became pregnant and gave birth to her first child Laurens pregnancy news got out because Wendy Williams was airing out her business on the radio during Thursday's recording session Fuji Lauren Hill confirmed a rumour that had been running rampant through the Grammys on Wednesday are you with child don't blush on me now actually a Galatians this is something that was planned and are you excited about it and twenty-one years old and going around the world no but grandma says you know I'm very much in love and very happy I'm actually birth as motherhood has a benediction so I'm just blessed me and other responsibilities Rohan was assumed to be the father of Laurens child because he was dating her but Wyclif said otherwise he revealed that he thought Lauren was pregnant with his child and Lauren was in the hospital having a child there was nothing in my mind to to lead me to not believing that it was not mine why was I the one in the hospital and not rule Lauren was actually pregnant with Rohan's child which greatly upset wycliffe wycliffe said that the paternity drama led to the breakup of the Fugees the predicament was emotionally draining for Lauren on top of that she was pressured by the people at her label to get an abortion the difficult circumstance inspired Lauren to create music she poured out her heartache and her frustrations and her revelations in different songs lauren ended up creating a body of work that would be her staple project called The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill I'd gone through a lot you know a huge emotional and and spiritual battle prior to the creation of that album but it was like once I was delivered from that situation you know and once I got the perspective was able to look back and heartache and look back at pain and disappointment for some reason it all was so clear the creation of her album came with a few obstacles Rohan Marley revealed to Rolling Stone magazine that Wyclef was telling people that if they worked with Lawren they could not work with him most decided to go with Wyclef since he was an experienced producer lauren ended up having to find her own production team she discovered a group of talented musicians from Newark New Jersey and invited them to produce her album she called them the new art producers the new art producers helped lauren create early recordings of the album when she sent the early recordings to the record executives they scoffed at it and called it coffee table music lauren was offended but she believed in her work around the time lauren was creating her solo record she was also writing and arranging music for other artists [Music] [Applause] Hey I wanna see Lauren geared up to release her solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill the album turned out to be a masterful and eclectic piece of work it contained a fusion of different genres including hip hop R&B soul doo-wop funk and reggae Lauren ordered various instruments into the studio to provide the rich musical sound that she wanted one of the producers on the album named Joe recalled working with Lauren in an interview with XXL Magazine he said Lauren was definitely the guy it was her vision our job was to take whatever was in her head and put it down for her the musical sound that was created on the album was brilliant the sound of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album was not the only reason why it was so great the content was a huge reason as well the subject matter and the lyrical content gave the album a layer of depth that was missing from the current albums out there at the time this was one of the factors that distinguish Laurens music from the rest doo-wop that thing was the album's first leading single and it peaked to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts doo-wop that thing was an up-tempo hip-hop and R&B track with a 50s and 60s vibe in the song Lauren cautioned and admonished men and women the message was intended to convict and encourage the black community to discard negative mindsets and make positive changes another single that was released from the album was called everything is everything [Music] everything is everything was a mid temple tract that included a blend of heavy hip-hop soul elements and rustic orchestral sounds one of the instruments on the record was played by John Legend Tara encouraged me to play the song or two for Lauren and Lauren liked what she heard and asked me to play piano on everything is everything which ended up being a pretty big hit everything is everything fell in line with Laurens theme to awaken the social consciousness of people in society Laura's next single was called The X Factor X Factor was a very personal song that detailed Lauren's romantic woes [Music] Lauren poured out her emotions on other love Lauren theme songs on the album many people surmise that her heartbreak songs were about her complicated relationship with Wyclef more than likely they were write another one of Laurens radio singles was called to Zion featuring Carlos Santana the song was a heartfelt ballad dedicated to her first son Zion who she quietly gave birth to before the release of her album around the time the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album was released Lauryn was pregnant again with her second child say live it was a crucial time for her to perform and promote her record so one could imagine that her pregnancy news was not warmly received by the label Laurens music still continued to do exceptionally well and she was able to perform at the Billboard Awards while concealing her pregnancy The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was highly acclaimed Lauryn managed to cover different topics that resonated with many music listeners the album was bold introspective enlightening emotive romantic creative and uplifting the album sold over 19 million records worldwide making it the highest selling album from a female rapper ever it also made its mark as one of the most impactful hip hop albums of all time Lauryn Hill became a powerful voice for her generation and she received a mass amount of respect from her peers and music critics she also graced several major magazine covers proudly displayed her Afrocentric beauty Lauryn earned numerous awards for her solo album including multiple Grammys she was the first woman to be nominated in ten different Grammy categories in one year and she was the first woman to win five Grammys and one night including the most prestigious album of the Year award everything in Laurens life was moving super fast her new level of superstardom came with more demands and she started filling the pressure she found herself spectively placed on a pedestal which was somewhat of an awkward position for her to be in the honor to me has less to do with the award to me that translates in the relationship that I have with the audience and if my music is helpful to them that's the award so I'm you know I get really afraid of those little comfort you know it's those things that make us feel like you know we did something great because I've done nothing I've done nothing Lauren was only 23 years old and she was still learning a lot about life but she carried a wisdom that went far beyond her years in a way she felt like she had a responsibility to be an example to the youth I'm specifically speaking of you guys up there there's absolutely nothing that I'm doing that y'all can't do every single one of you I'm 23 years old and I'm just I'm just a kid you know I'm a I'm a child in this there's so many great people who came before me who put their hearts and their souls on the line for music I'm just one person you know what I mean God has given me the opportunity now I'm so thankful but just know that we all have the potential to do anything and whatever Lauren became more spiritual as well she developed a close relationship with God and she made it known to the public that God was her source every time I think of what God has allowed me to do and how he used me I just realize how blessed I am and [Applause] because the great assembly I love him truly and I'm committed to doing his work Lawrence spirituality was criticized by some self-righteous people who did not approve of her being an unwed mother making secular music Lauren tearfully responded to the criticism during her acceptance speech at the essence Awards I want to let young people know it is not a burden to love him and to represent him and to be who you are as fly and it's hot and it's whatever and it still love God and to serve Him it's not a contradiction it's not a contradiction public criticism wasn't the only thing Lauren dealt with behind the scenes more issues were brewing Laurens producers from her Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album vowed a 50-page lawsuit against her the new art producers claim that they were cheated out of millions of dollars of royalties Lauren was credited as the only songwriter and producer on the album even though she worked with other collaborators Lauren never offered the new art producers a formal contract because she did not want business to interfere with their art or their relationship the new art producers were initially paid $100,000 for publishing rights but they realized that they were cheated out of millions of dollars when they saw how well the album did in sales the legal battle was painful for both parties particularly Lauren Lauren developed a close relationship with the new art producers and it was disheartening to witness her friends sue her it was also disheartening to hear people accuse her of being a music thief even though Oh Lauren had helped creating her solo album it didn't take away from the fact that she was a skillful songwriter and a music visionary while dealing with the lawsuit Lauren was pressured to go on a world tour The Miseducation tour was very successful but Lauren found herself Billy drain she was relieved when she finally completed all of her tour dates my whole life and after at a certain point was Studio Hotel stage Hotel stage Studio stage Hotel Studio stage you know and I felt like a sister you know dried up and like there was nothing more Lauren went on to create more music she pinned a hit for mary j blige as album called all that I can say she collaborated with other artists including Cee Lo Green Carlos Santana and the late Bob Marley on the remix of his song turn your lights down low [Music] Lauren Hill was also supposed to collaborate with Mariah Carey on a song called crystal ball there were a few problems though mariah was frustrated with Lauren's label because they would not agree to release the song and time to make it on her album rainbow Mariah skipped out on the recording session without Lauren's knowledge due to the miscommunication between their teams Mariah tried to reschedule another session but Lauren was too busy and she was no longer interested in the collaboration Mariah said in an impromptu press conference if you're not careful the media can come between a collaboration especially when you have two incredibly public icons collaborating such as Lauren and myself I still have faith in the song and in the idea that both her and I can make it happen unfortunately it never happened as the year 1999 closed out Lauren's visibility in the public eye faded Lauren was allegedly offered movie roles in major films like Charlie's Angels The Matrix and The Bourne Identity but she turned them down her sudden absence from the music industry raised a lot of questions where that Lauryn Hill go what's she doing now when is she going to release more music Lauren however had to take a step back from the music industry she wanted to experience a life of normalcy again our returns to a normal situation with my children running around screaming you know and it was wonderful and I walked down the street and I went grocery shopping and I loved it the label executives weren't too supportive of Lauren's hiatus they were anxious for her to get back in the studio and create more SiC Lauren however did not want to create especially if she was not inspired I'm not in the studio right now and everybody in my world thinks I'm crazy what's going on you need another album out do you know the time is running out you have a window a certain window to make music and for a little while I listened to that and I was like in the studio working real hard trying to get it done and you know music was created definitely music that I think people will appreciate but it wasn't my best and it wasn't my best because there was no substance and there was no substance because there was no experience and the only reason why the mis-education was the album it was was because of a myriad of experiences that took place before the production part so what I realized is you know what I can't create and not live you know I never want to condescend a lot of people who condescend to the audience you know they they just think I'll they like anything just throw a bead on it and put your voice on it but if it doesn't move me then I don't think it's worthy enough to put out there and move someone else you know what I mean Lauren still had a heavy weight to get off of her back the lawsuit the new art producers found a lawsuit against Lauren her management team and her label in 2001 they won big in court Lauren and her label had to pay the new art producers five million dollars one of the producers bada Nobles told Rolling Stone magazine that Lauren was the one who gave up on fighting them in court he said this eventually Lauren decided that she didn't want to go on with it no more the lawyers were mad that she wanted to quit kilo and I went to her house and made peace right after the dispositions I haven't seen or heard from her since after the lawsuit debacle things started to change in Laurens life her former manager Jason Jackson noticed that Lauren's devotion to her faith increased Lauren became affiliated with this mysterious spiritual advisor named brother Anthony some suspected that brother Anthony was a cult leader instead of an actual spiritual advisor they noticed that lauren began to grow distant from some people around her including her manager Jason Lauren had a reason for distancing herself she revealed that during her time of Solitude she had to confront her fears and fight against negative thoughts she sometimes doubted herself she didn't know she can make another masterpiece like The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and she was taunted with the thoughts that she couldn't make music without her Newark producers I see that enemy he would tell me you know you don't have to 20-piece band you can't do nothing I said yeah keep talking unbeknownst to the public Lauren may have been dealing with a deeper battle than we know being a highly influential young black woman who boldly spoke truth and light to millions of listeners was bound to face some resistance especially from the ones in high places the music industry is just a microcosm of the world so whenever you stand for something and you stand for goodness and truth you will always get resistance that's period in order to be used by God you have to really be used you know we always want to be used for the glorious jobs but that's not being used sometimes in order to be you you also have to be humiliated it to be humiliated sometimes you have to be kicked and beaten it's obvious that Lauren was going through some personal and spiritual battles and some suspected that brother Anthony might have been the cause behind it prosit in an interview in Rolling Stone magazine brother Anthony was definitely on some other stuff I had a tape of his teachings and that stuff is ill messed me up I can't really explain it it was some weird stuff man it was some real cult stuff Lawrence spiritual advisor might have had an influence on her to draw away from the music industry there were other reasons why Lauryn Hill became disinterested in the music industry she wanted to be free to create music without having to compromise her art or submit to the labels demands the label executives grew impatient with Lauryn and they wanted her to release a second solo album promptly Lauryn followed her obligations in 2001 she performed the first song off of her second project called Adam lives in theory many viewers were surprised at the change in Laurens appearance lauren had cut off all of her locks and wore casual baggy clothes because she was pregnant at the time she marked her return to the essence Awards with a simple acoustic performance instead of a grand musical show she performed her song Adam lives in theory which was an allegorical breakdown of mankind's fall from grace using Adam and Eve from the Bible as an example the song was received with indifference by the audience it was something that they weren't expecting Laurens new musical era as a whole was unexpected in July of 2001 she taped her MTV Unplugged special after spending all night in the studio with Nas and her producer Salaam Remi even though Lauren was tired and hoarse from singing she still showed up to record her special the new material she performed had a lot of heavy topics in some songs Lauren boldly exposed the depravity of people in power and she rebuked the government and a criminal justice system for its corruption and other songs Lauren addressed the carnality and woes of mankind Lauren's record contained a lot of spiritual themes some of which may have been too ambiguous to grasp however her poetic expression of her spirituality was sincere and not at all contrived one of the more touching moments in the special was when Lauren performed peace of mind she broke down in tears as she expressed her heart to God asking him to free her mind her vulnerability was heartfelt and courageous in between songs lauren spoke honestly about her personal struggles as an artist I had created this public persona this public illusion and it became it held me hostage whenever we submit our will to someone else's opinion you know I mean a part of us dies one of her most revealing records on the album was get out get out seemed like a denouncement of the music industry Lauren was tired of being controlled and she did not want to compromise or sell her soul to the Machine she wanted to get out of the industry Laurens MTV Unplugged special shocked her label the episode was supposed to air in 2001 but it was held off until the following year her anti-establishment rhetoric was too radical to air especially around the time the 9/11 attacks happened the label wasn't too pleased with Lauren's new artistic direction either they wanted her to stick to the same formulas she had during The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill era lauren however was no longer in the same place to do that she could not for something that wasn't real executives at Columbia and Sony records were frustrated because they invested a lot of money on Lauren's second project and they wanted a return on their investment it was clear to Lauren that they placed more value on money than her as an artist in 2002 the label decided to release the audio recording of Laurens MTV Unplugged special the reception and sales were disappointing but the album still managed to go platinum after the special aired Lauren left the spotlight again the following year she performed in Vatican City and blasted the Catholic Church for their corrupt practices and child abuse scandals the Catholic officials who were in attendance were completely outraged the Catholic lead responded by saying Lauren was miserable and her career was declining Lauren was unaffected by the backlash because she felt like what she said needed to be said Lauren stayed away from the spotlight she didn't release any new material or make any appearances on major television networks she only sporadically gave concerts throughout the year her life was a mystery to many because she was a very private person but she did agree to do a documentary to give people more insight in her life you know how can you complete anything of any real value in a fake place being a fake thing I don't know something about business I know things about people nor any real strength or confidence to tell people no and watch them get upset I grew up conforming myself and I kinda got tired of it you know why do we feel like we have to exist in caricature and non-reality and some might argue you know well that's show business honey not go here right that's why I'm having such a hard time defining what I do Lauren opened up about why she drifted away from the music industry here's what happened I was not inspired by anything my focus was too much on the writing and not what I was actually writing art in commerce how did the tool you know the relationship has always been art does its thing yeah you go commerce you know but now Commerce wants to control art which it seems to be argued Lauryn Hill is the epitome of an artist nothing matters to her but the OP disseminator see some people money is a driving force for them for her money isn't a driving force long honest that the person I'd betray publicly was only unfortunate and that I had a broader perspective than what I had allowed you know frankly I started to get relatively because I become too accessible a little to people sort of throwing their expectations the documentary was never released to the public because Columbia and Sony pulled the plug on it in 2004 the unlikely happened Lauryn reunited with her former bandmates Pras and Wyclef after eight years of being apart the comedian Dave Chappelle was actually the reason why they reunited in the first place [Music] with his words the Fugees surprise reunion on Dave Chappelle's block party excited many fans the following year the Fugees made a comeback at the be ET Awards which was another great moment for the culture realizing that there was still a spark between them Lawrence Krauss and Wyclef decided to make music together again they recorded a song called the ich which was meant to be a single but it was scrapped years later the song was leaked by DJ Funkmaster Flex I wish [Music] unfortunately the Fugees reunion was short-lived due to creative differences and disagreements between the group members Wyclef and Pross wanted to record a song called lips don't lie however Lauren did not care for this song Wyatt left for now we're working on tips on life that was a Fuji Records but Lauren didn't like you the song lips don't lie ended up being passed on to Shakira and it was renamed hips don't lie hips don't lie became a massive hit the song would have been great at the food she's recorded it but the Fugees would no longer record songs together without any warning Lauren abruptly quit the group I see you don't believe this man impressed Lauren Hill walked out the studio the Fugees done so she just like well I think we're the mushy fighting with clap or like what was going on I'm not quite sure what's wafted but I think was a collective thing it's unclear why Lauren walked out of the studio that night apparently Wyclef said something that rubbed her the wrong way Wyclef did make some serious comments concerning her mental stability and then I know one time after that I made a statement when I said Poehler when somebody is sick or something is wrong other people around them tend to keep them like that Wyclef wasn't the only one who made speculations about Lauren's mental health media reports made the same claims Peraza fended her in his interview with Rolling Stone magazine he said it's not that Lauren is crazy if it's not the Orthodox way then people tend to say you're crazy people said Einstein was crazy Lauren had whatever she was dealing with personally and sometimes people don't know how to give you a break because she had such an impact after Lauren left the Fugees she continued to perform and frequently she had written a lot of music but she only had a few recordings that were greenlit by her label she collaborated on a song with Joss Stone called music prior to that she was on a remix of John Legend song so high in 2007 Lauren released a new song called lose myself for the soundtrack of Surf's Up Lauren was allegedly supposed to collaborate with little Kim on the saw put your lighters up which was a remake of Damian Marley song welcome to Jamrock [Music] due to label issues the collaboration did not happen Lauren occasionally toured here and there but she cancelled shows and she had a reputation of being late to her concerts which frustrated her fans in 2010 Lauren began performing more she performed at The Rock the Bells hip hop Festival and received a very warm welcome by the crowd many people were excited to see Lauren back on stage again Lauren you're back what besides the kids is the reason why we haven't seen you I wanted a real life as well you know out of public scrutiny I wanted to be able to live you know to reclaim my private life Lauren managed to maintain her privacy for the most part no one knew much about her personal life other than the fact that she had five children with her a longtime fiance Rohan Marley however in 2001 news about her breakup with Rohan hit the web when it was reported that Rohan left Lauren for another woman at the time Lauren was pregnant with her sixth child so people accused of Rohan of leaving Lauren while she was pregnant Lauren however cleared up the rumors and said that the two of them have been separated for a long time she said contrary to the numerous reports mr. Marley did not abandon me while pregnant with his child we I've had long periods of separation over the years but our children together remain a joy to both of us Rohan spoke about their breakup in open magazine and said I feel sad that I loved her so much and I faltered in expressing it to her somehow it was my fault that she did not understand how I felt and it was sad that we did not work out in that relationship since I was heartbroken for a long time later that year Lauren gave birth to her sixth child who was reportedly fathered by another man even though Rohan was not the father he sent well wishes to her newborn her split what Rohan wasn't the only thing that was reported in the media Laurens tax troubles were reported as well in 2012 Lauren pled guilty to evade in federal taxes she old one point eight million dollars to the government from the money she made between 2005 and 2007 Lauren revealed in legal documents that she did not file taxes during those years because she was dealing with real threats against her and her family it might have sounded like conspiracy talked to the judge but there was some validity to what she was saying a few years back the music icon Prince actually reached out to Lauren to help her and her children because he heard that she was in trouble and a plane it landed and my phone Arenas prince and i said hey what's going on he goes where are her kids where are her kids I said what are you talking about he goes Lauren Hill where her kids he has found out that Lauren had gotten in some trouble and the first thing he wanted to know is where are her kids and what can we do to help Prince also had issues with the music industry just like Lauren did he quietly helped other artists but he was careful to protect his identity after pleading guilty to evade in her taxes Lauren served a three-month sentence in prison in the meantime she released two singles neurotic society and consumerism when Lauren finished her sentence she revealed that she was working on new music she released this statement it has been reported that I signed a new record deal and that I did this to pay taxes yes I have recently entered into an agreement with Sony worldwide entertainment to launch a new label on which my new music will be released and yes I am working on new music since sign in her new deal Lauren who now goes by Miss Lauren Hill has been performing more frequently and has been making more TV appearances she also had another major opportunity to tour with the Fugees again but things did not work out why did this project you guys were working on not materialise mag you know I think the thing with us is it has to feel right 3-4 months ago we got an offer just to go on the road about a couple months ninety million dollar payday when I went to speak to Lauren it was just like the energy like we gotta be in a good space we don't want to go chicks a check right if we're gonna do something for the people is going we're gonna leave everything on the stage in 2018 miss Lauren Hill announced a new tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album the tour starts this summer even though miss Lauren has been through a lot her leg see still stands solid as a rock her influence remains prevalent among the new generation of performers today my favorite album ever is the message occasion of Lauryn Hill I was a big fan of Roman Hill when she's in the Fugees anyway and that was like a record I grew up listening to [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] you [Music] [Applause] [Music] miss Lauren Hill impacted the hip-hop and R&B generation with her lyrical prowess and soulful vocals and she empowered music artists with her unapologetic nonconformity miss Lauren Hill is nothing short of a musical gem set from God himself and she is a true living legend thank you so much for watching this music documentary [Music] you

Channel: Empressive

Views: 2,655,307

Rating: 4.892211 out of 5

Keywords: lauryn hill, miseducation of lauryn hill, ex factor, interview, live, fugees, the score, killing me softly, doop wop, that thing, Ms Lauryn Hill's Unsung Music Story, wyclef, pras

Id: g7FemWggfkk

Length: 52min 15sec (3135 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 30 2018