Over the past few days we've noticed different sites reporting "Ms.Lauryn Hill signed a new deal for $ 1 Million" . I was happy but thought, why would a artist who has sold over 50 Million units worldwide sign a deal for that? We read she was evicted, facing prison time for tax evasion, and more. She has signed a deal but it's more than just "a record deal" , again you have to keep in mind the artist has not put out music in 10+ years and has gone through some things in both public and private affairs; fans are overly eager to pick up anything Ms.Hill drops.
To make matters worse many websites have reported that " Lauryn Hill signs deal with Sony to pay late taxes." Google that phrase and see how many times it pops up, they go on to say that Lauryn Hill posted on herTumblr page that she "she signed a new record deal, and that I did this to pay taxes", completely omitting the fact that it does not say that. The NeYorkPost.com, WSJ.com,DetroitNews.com, Dailymail.com, Hitfix.com, Lovebscott.com, AssociatedPress.com and many more are wrong and have created a echo chambers(basically you hear it you see it so much it has to be true). It seems odd that all these so called objective reputable sites reported something directly from the artist herself and got it wrong and continue to report it.
From her very own siteMs. Lauryn Hill Tumblr Page she writes:
YET ANOTHER MEDIA INACCURACY…
I’d like to set the record straight: I am not squatting, and I do not owe any money to my landlord. I have always stayed current on rent. I was raised in South Orange, which is why these allegations are not only false, but insulting. I am in talks with the town about resolving an unrelated issue, regarding how I use my home to work on my music, which has nothing to do with my financial obligations.
Won’t it be great when real journalism returns to replace inaccurate tabloid harassment.
This is the actual statement Ms.Hill wrote that the media has twisted
It has been reported that I signed a new record deal, and that I did this to pay taxes. Yes, I have recently entered into an agreement with Sony Worldwide Entertainment, to launch a new label, on which my new music will be released. And yes, I am working on new music.
I’ve remained silent, after an extensive healing process. This has been a 10+ year battle, for a long time played out behind closed doors, but now in front of the public eye. This is an old conflict between art and commerce… free minds, and minds that are perhaps overly tethered to structure. This is about inequity, and the resulting disenfranchisement caused by it. I’ve been fighting for existential and economic freedom, which means the freedom to create and live without someone threatening, controlling, and/or manipulating the art and the artist, by tying the purse strings.
It took years for me to get out of the ‘parasitic’ dynamic of my youth, and into a deal that better reflects my true contribution as an artist, and (purportedly) gives me the control necessary to create a paradigm suitable for my needs. I have been working towards this for a long time, not just because of my current legal situation, but because I am an artist, I love to create, and I need the proper platform to do so.
The nature of my new business venture, as well as the dollar amount reported, was inaccurate, only a portion of the overall deal. Keep in mind, my past recordings have sold over 50,000,000 units worldwide, earning the label a tremendous amount of money (a fraction of which actually came to me).
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