Lauryn Hill Defends Only Releasing One Album

Lauryn Hill fans have often bemoaned the fact that the former Fugee had never released a proper studio album follow-up to her classic 1998 debut, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. After responding to an Instagram post from FRAIM on the topic, the Grammy winner gave a more elaborate take on why she has yet to drop a sophomore album. 

She disagreed with the post’s claims that she hadn’t released another album because of legal troubles, family obligations, lack of label support, and other factors. She gave a lengthy explanation in the comments, referencing artistic integrity as what drove both her award-winning solo debut and 1996’s The Score, her masterwork with the Fugees. 

“When you're inspired and desire to be principled, what doesn't get talked about enough is the drain… nor the challenge to find safety so that you can create with integrity," Hill wrote. "Most see opportunity as dollars only and often exclude the 'sense.' The Score nor The Miseducation were made because we were 'allowed' to represent what we did, we fought for every inch."

“Wild success can cause greed that begins to degenerate the art for the money. We're people living through all this. These conversations should allow for more nuance. Artists go through phases, creativity requires expression, exploration and experimentation. There were people who hated the Unplugged album and yet some today swear by its significance."

She compared her career and influence to the impact of one of American history’s most significant women. 

“I was like a Harriet Tubman figure in some respects running to speak difficult truths to power before certain forces tried to close those doors," she explained. "If it was so easy to do, where is that expression now on the world stage? Systems fear what they can't control. Creativity is most potent when it's free."

Ms. Hill went on to say that she planted seeds for others to follow. “If I did nothing else, I introduced standards and possibilities to a generation that didn't know they could operate on that level before then. I am often doing things outside the support of the system before people can even realize what I've done. Another artist who values inspiration then recognizes IT'S value and re-presents it to an audience then ready to receive it."

And she described what things were like after The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’s success. 

 "After The Miseducation, there were scores of tentacled obstructionists, politics, repressing agendas, unrealistic expectations, and saboteurs EVERYWHERE," she said. "People had included me in their own narratives of their successes as it pertained to my album, and if this contradicted my experience, I was considered an enemy."

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