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Lauryn Hill Shoots Back At Robert Glasper & Addresses ALL The Rumors

Lauryn Hill Shoots Back At Robert Glasper & Addresses ALL The Rumors

Hot97 Staff
08/28/2018 12:00 AM EDT
(Photo Credit: Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Lauryn Hill is not going to take critism lightly.

The singer responded to comments from producer Robert Glasper who claims that she stole music for her classic debut album Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, as well as failing to give credit to those who allegedly helped write the tracks.

She did so in a lengthy piece on Medium in which she addressed Glasper’s comments and all of the other rumors heard about her.

“I’m confused as to why such a principled musician, who thought I ‘stole’ from his friends, would show up to work for me anyway. If that was hypocrisy or opportunism instead of genuine interest, it would further explain why an artist would feel the need to put his or her guard up.”

She continues later.

“Who are you to say I didn’t do enough? Most people are probably just hearing your name for the first time because you dropped MINE in an interview, controversially. Taking nothing away from your talent, but this is a fact.”

Glasper also claimed that she had at one time cut the bands pay in half during his now viral interview, “Every day she comes in and changes the show, changes what she wants to do. Completely. The last rehearsal, she doesn’t show up. Her manager comes in and says, ‘Lauryn’s not really feeling the way you guys have been learning the music, so we’re gonna cut your pay in half.’ The last rehearsal. The day before the show. ‘We’re gonna cut your pay in half.’ First of all, we weren’t getting paid that much anyway, but understand she’s getting half-a-million dollars. So, seriously? You’re gonna take these five musicians and cut their pay in half?”

Her response below.

“Don’t have the details or recollection of cutting the band’s pay in half. If fees had been negotiated and confirmed without my knowledge, I may have asked for them to be adjusted. But I would never just cut a musician’s pay arbitrarily unless I had a legitimate reason. There are artists who do cut pay though, James Brown was notorious for docking musicians if they did something he didn’t like, I’m sure there are others.”

She also addresses rumors about why she performs some of her biggest hits in a unique matter on stage.

“There’s a ton of backstory as to why, but there’s no way I could continue to play the same songs over and over as long as I’ve been performing them without some variation and exploration. I’m not a robot. If I’d had additional music out, perhaps I would have kept them as they were. I didn’t, so I revise and rearrange them according to what I’m feeling in that moment. This way, my performances are heartfelt and authentic, not me just going through the motions. I can’t imagine why that would be a foreign concept to anyone who appreciates jazz.”

“And the myth that I’m not allowed to play the original versions of my songs is…a myth (anyone who’s seen my current show knows this).”

See all of her comments here.