Fans have been making jokes for years centered around Lauryn Hill’s tardiness at her own performances. Now, Hill is addressing those claims. During the first of her two shows in Los Angeles for the The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill 25th Anniversary Tour, she set the record straight.
“People say, ‘Oh, she’s late.’ ‘She’s late a lot.’ Yo, y’all lucky I make it on this blood rah stage every night,” she said in a viral video. “I leave my soul on this stage. And I don’t do it because they let me do it. I do it because I stand here in the name of God. And I know it. God is the one who allows me to do it, who surrounded me with family and community — when there was no support, when the album sold so many records and no one showed up and said, ‘Hey, would you like to make another one?’”
Hill continued, “So I went around the world, and I played the same album over and over and over and over again. Because we are survivors, and we’re not just survivors, we’re thrivers.”
While she was met with mixed reviews on line, legendary artist, Anita Baker was among those defending Hill.
“Much Respect, Queen. Women often DISrespected, On the Road. Given Sub Par Equipment. Timetables & Deadlines,” Baker tweeted. “[Are] often *Disregarded Even tho we pay Vendors the same$$$… sometimes Double & receive Sub-Par, service. & guess who bares The Blame. Women. Don’t quit, Queen!”