Lauryn Hill pulls yet another disappearing act.
Well…not exactly.
Miss Lauryn Hill has just never been one to feel like she has to explain herself-she never did-and as we can tell thus far; she never will.
We’re talking about a woman who up and pulled out of the industry (without taking advantage of any platforms to explain herself); a woman who was facing jail time needing to show up in court with cool $1million dollars but showed up with a cold $900k (not explaining herself, but rather, explaining her dissatisfaction with the oppressive systems in place).
Now (currently), while in the middle of touring; she just canceled an upcoming trio of concerts in the New York/New Jersey area and pushed them back until January/February of next year (no explanation), nothing but to leave us all to assume that according to the public details of her case-in addition to her being confined for three months for tax evasion-the second part of the “punishment” was for her to be confined in house for three months (for which she has not slowed down to do as yet).
According to reports, when Hill was released from jail, she hit the ground running and continued on her same course (of touring) that she was on before she was interrupted to be “punished.” In order to stay on her course, she asked for, and was granted permission to delay the three month home confinement portion of the unfinished “punishment” so that she may head right back out on tour.
It is believed that she is doing this (pushing back those 3 tour dates) because she is retreating to honor (and complete) the tail end of her “punishment,” …and in typical Miss Lauryn Hill style, she just doesn’t feel like she owes the world an explanation (on what’s actually public information and if we just want to know that bad-it’s out there to be found-so go find it and piece it together. She’s not going to help us out with that, understandably).
But let me say this:
You can say what you want to say about Lauryn Hill, but whether you take note and notice or no, she really is changing the game in a way that is actually—exclusively (and oddly + quietly enough) really working for her with NO radio or television promotion or having dropped a new CD since 2000, yet shortly after that multi-Grammy award-winning CD and smack dead in the middle of her highest success she managed to pull a music Machiavelli: Disappear with no explanation or excuse, come back with no CD (still), set up tour dates, go to jail, and come back out and tour again: Successfully! Who does that?! And she’s still managing to do all this without attention whoring (or merely working/self-promoting) via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or none of that. Whether you’re paying attention or not, I’m here to tell you: Lauryn Hill is doing the damned things and turning them into blessed things, like being able to turn water to wine I tell ya. It’s uncanny! She managed to still cultivate and be able to share with the world-her art-even after freeing herself from the worldly industry systems, the available popular promotional methods, having cut out the record company and its middlemen and all the hangers on that come with it, yet still survive independently aside from being on paper with the industry. (But to a world of literal “followers” and people who are afraid to step outside of the box…she’s “crazy.”) Her moves are not an act of “crazy.” It’s genius. Respect it.
We can appreciate, and respect #NewRules and #NewMoves in the game like when this past summer, Jay Z made his CD available on the Android market before iTunes and the traditional CD seller’s market.
And although Kanye West’s big move plans for promoting his CD came to a halt (only because his required consistent use and permission to utilize establishments that weren’t his in order to promote his CD-in a first time atypical way); he’s still in the running for having made #Newrules and #Newmoves-despite how ambitious his efforts and intentions were-but well over what could actually occur to support his creative endeavor (consistently and on schedule). We can appreciate and respect that too.
Rapper Nipsey Hussle, who dropped his project late this summer/early fall, created his nontraditional way by challenging people who really claimed to love and support him by literally having them put their money where their mouths were-putting their hands where his eyes could see: in their pockets, pulling out that credit card, and logging into his own personal site and purchasing his CD for $100.00! Not $1.50 per song like at iTunes, not $15.99 like at Target for a hard copy/physical CD-no, $100.00 per CD download! And he pulled that sh!t off-to near Gold status (monetarily)! Certainly over high thousands that many rappers and music artists are still not pulling with their projects even promoted and sold the traditional industry route. His innovation demonstrated and created a blueprint for exactly how to cut the middle man completely out-and get all your hard earned monies! It was CRAZY! I was floored!
Sidenote: JayZ bought [I believe it was 100 copies] of Nipsey’s mixtape project.
Know something poignant, important, and true: People LOVE to throw out the words: “Great Minds Think Alike!” No. Great minds understand, relate, recognize, and therefore support THE like. Only great minds think outside of boxes-never quite “ALIKE.”
Let me continue:
Then there was Beyonce, who we all know on December 13, 2013 in the wee hours of the morning; spontaneously dropped (via iTunes) an entire CD and what? (17?) videos-just like that! And in less than 6 days, sold 1million copies before the CD’s could be shipped and its boxes cracked open for the physical CD to be sold in stores!
It’s something to be said for taking unusual risks and creating new ways to do something for yourself and your art outside of conventional methods and ways things “have always been.”
The world has no choice but to surrender and move out of the way of the man who knows where he is going. No matter how hard you try, you can’t fight it or resist it…they’re coming through.
And often times, people like that (especially creatives) won’t let you disturb their groove and [unfortunately?] the things they do, will often times come in packaging with a title that simply reads: “NO EXPLANATIONS” …so just follow their lead-because they really are the true leaders and pioneers.
So in closing, I say this:
When it comes down to explanations for some people of the world in this worldly world, (like excuses) there are none. Just pay attention to our steps for your answers ‘cause love it or hate it, like it or not: Thy will be done. And as long as there is the WILL, a WAY will be made. So get on, get with it, get going…or just get out of the way…
