Lauryn Hill Writes Letter to California Lawmakers on FAIR Act

Lauryn Hill made an Instagram post about the FAIR Act, a bill that proposes to protect contracts for California artists and labels.

Lauryn Hill is speaking out on behalf of the FAIR Act. On Thursday, the legendary musician went to Instagram with a letter to California lawmakers, urging them to pass the bill, whose full title is Free Artists from Industry Restrictions Act. In 2021, the FAIR Act was introduced by state assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, and the bill offered to protect California artists with recording contracts ending at seven years, per Deadline.

On Instagram, Hill spoke at length about the FAIR Act.

“We would love to believe that businesses at the highest level are always run by fair practices and moral prerogatives, but this is more often than not, not the case,” Hill wrote. “For this reason laws MUST exist that protect people from harsh and insensitive practices like artist suppression, and willful sabotage and neglect. Record companies are still peopled and run by... Well, people—with personal policies, biases and issues we may know nothing about. Artists can easily fall prey to the internal politics of business, someone inside simply not liking them, or bulling and intimidation and the attacks that come when someone resists that coercion."

“We have a history of examples, of albums, of bands, and of people whose influence on popular culture has literally changed the world,” she continued. “When these voices go silence and repressed, the world is dramatically affected. No institution should be allowed the opportunity to control the market by controlling the output of a creative being for some ridiculous, indefinite period of time.”

On March 30th, the FAIR Act passed out of the California State Assembly’s Labor & Employment Committee with a 4-2 vote. Moving to the Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media Committee, the next hearing and vote for the bill will take place on April 19.