Photo by Victoria Ford/Sneakshot Photography
Photo of Lauryn Hill taken by Victoria Ford of Sneakshot Photography for Okayplayer
Lauryn Hill's latest exercise in tardiness was the straw that broke the camel's back as fans took to social media to express their frustration with the singer following a show in Atlanta on Friday night. The barrage of public complaints were the byproduct of Hill's lateness, which left ticket holders on their feet for over two hours with nothing to show for their pain and suffering after her set, which began finally at 10:30 PM, was cut short at the 30-minute mark by the Chastain Park Ampitheatre. The ex-Fugee and breakout soul star's serial tardiness has been the subject of heated debates post-Miseducation to the present. A recent Facebook post finds Questlove siding with fans angered by Lauryn Hill's inability to show on time. In a response that puts mutual friendships, degrees of separation and past collaborations aside, Questo claps back with a lesson in what not to do for Hill and anyone else aspiring to pop culture star status.
There is this glorious fantasy going on in our heads. It's like a movie and you imagine folks cheering your name like the end of Purple Rain ("Lauryn!! Lauryn!! Lauryn!!!!!!!") and movies make you feel like "that's how life should be" (this should also apply to the "can I audition for you on the spot? And you just clap your hands and make me a star right quick?" crew: what you see on movies ain't real. Entourage is not REAL)
So with this in mind you HAVE to think like a businessman in order to please the fan (the aforementioned alias celebs here call me "Suit" like Billy from Entourage as if "I've lost touch with the people")
Hardly.
Every aspect from walk in music (Mike D told me to DJ before the shows to engage fans---boring walk in music makes em tired, DJ trine kill it could dwarf the show and steal the ounce of energy a standing on their feet audience has) to the pacing of the show has to be combed over.
4 hours on their feet is inconsiderate and uncalled for.
Now on the other side of the coin (and not wanting to put people's business out there) this is prime psychological sabotage fear in motion. This is the embarrassment of that Newark 4 lawsuit. This is age fear talking loud and clear. This is resentment of having to now do this to survive (I mean we all "do it for the love"---but this is survival) the embarrassment of now being a one album legacy artist and the possibility of not mattering anymore in this disposable society. People will kill something before it grows.
This is prime example of that.
Get more on the latest dust up involving Ms. Hill via COMPLEX.
