Seems very simple to me. Would you rather...

A) try your hand besting an album that folk fawn over like it's the Third Testament of the Bible -- and this under the heavy scrutiny that follows skepticism around your substantive artistic orchestration of it?

OR

B) rest on the laurels of such a hugely respected solo work, an impressive introduction on earlier collaborative work, and a certain latter-day proximity to the Marley legacy?

Lauryn enjoys legendry, whether she's truly deserving of it or not. Why would she jeopardize that with a forced and very likely underwhelming sophomore project, especially if she has no heart for it?

[Edited 12/29/12 6:08am]

Has been

Couple things:

1. Lawd ha mercy, this thread has been dirty-done-DID a million times over in the nigh-20 fucking years since the release. Where you been? Oh, right. Lawd.

2. The 90s was a misogynistic era. Women who struck out solo were consistently dehumanized in the media. Janet was consistently held under Michael. Sheryl was accused of not giving enough credit for Tuesday Night Music Club. Madonna was criticized for her work with Babyface. Shania, Alanis, criticized for being too reliant on their producer. Lauryn was accused of not crediting enough. Irrespective of who was credited for what, it is very clear Lauryn had a vision and a passion for this record.

3. Lauryn, like Courtney Love, needs a partner or 2. She does not do things completely solo. With no brilliant team of session musicians and produers, and no Pras or Clef, she is not going to put out the poignant shit she used to. Look, she has a gift with lyricism and delivery and her voice is beautiful - if a bit thin. But she is not Mozart. She is not Prince. She is not even Lady Gaga at this point.

4. Lauryn was not the first black woman to ever do it. She was not the first black female MC to speak with a conscience. She was not the first R&B voice to come up out the church. She was not the first and she was, consequently, not the last. And though her album kind of pushed the music industry in a certain direction and made organic R&B production popular again, she quickly overshadowed her own legacy with a bucket full of batshit insanity.

5. She will not put out a record because she doesn't have one to put out. She does not have the proper follow-up to Miseducation. She was close with Unplugged, but that was a rambling and sprawling sketch pad. Not a fully realized album with fully realized songs.

And that's the way the Spinlight milks it.

[Edited 12/29/12 3:05am]

Timmy84 said:

MickyDolenz said:

You can't just break a contract, that's not how the law works. The label can (and does) break contracts, but an act can get sued by the label if they try to. The label can also keep someone tied to a contract if it hasn't been fulfilled, but not release anything, or release it and not promote it. It's possible for an act to buy out a contract, if the company accepts. But that would be really expensive, especially for a popular act. That's how Peter Tork got out of The Monkees. But he was practically broke afterwards. Chaka Khan had quit Rufus, but ABC Records (later MCA) made her return to the group to fufill the contract.

I'm thinking she signed those 3 album type contracts. Even if she decides no mas, the company can't let her go and Lauryn probably knows if she left, Columbia would sue her for negligence. But she's not the innocent in this. She agreed to whatever solo contract she signed and has to perform full obligations to it. Because she hasn't, she's tied to her label for life even if music is not #1 in her life anymore. I think she peaked anyway.

but as far i know she is still getting paid? So the contract she has is still bringing her bread, she did have tax issues so what income is that from? Since she hasnt had a new record that $$ has to be from the contract, and from old album sales, to me i think, its a combination of things that are holding her back, I mean if its an album deal she is locked into, and she really wanted to go, give them shit demos or songs you didnt use touch them up and give them over, and leave, i mean even Prince did that. My thinking is that if she leaves she loses that guaranteed income

Spinlight said:

3. Lauryn, like Courtney Love, needs a partner or 2. She does not do things completely solo. With no brilliant team of session musicians and produers, and no Pras or Clef, she is not going to put out the poignant shit she used to. Look, she has a gift with lyricism and delivery and her voice is beautiful - if a bit thin. But she is not Mozart. She is not Prince. She is not even Lady Gaga at this point.

And that's the way the Spinlight milks it.

[Edited 12/29/12 3:05am]

THIS right here.

Spin pretty much hit it on the head there. And not to osund like a broken record & say it for the billonth time

But i do love her unreleased/mix tape work.

With that said there is dozens of great unreleased stuff but like the Unplugged(Which i personally love as well) It is very minimalistic music wise.

I love hearing Lauryn's words & the Tracy Chapmanesque way she approaches most of her songs that have surfaced in the 00's.

But on record? people would get pissed and call it another Unplugged type thing and will cry about how much better Miseducation was.

And with Lauryn doing stuff like ''GOD WILL PAY YOU IN THE AFTER LIFE'' Type business when hiring musicians. She won't keep musicians either

And honestly when the 2nd albums drops it is her Chinese Democracy(The GNR album that took 13 years to release)

Fans will bitch because of the wait, because of how songs sound, because of production, it's not long enough, Miseducation was better. It would just be a lot more bitching

lastdecember said:

Timmy84 said:

I'm thinking she signed those 3 album type contracts. Even if she decides no mas, the company can't let her go and Lauryn probably knows if she left, Columbia would sue her for negligence. But she's not the innocent in this. She agreed to whatever solo contract she signed and has to perform full obligations to it. Because she hasn't, she's tied to her label for life even if music is not #1 in her life anymore. I think she peaked anyway.

but as far i know she is still getting paid? So the contract she has is still bringing her bread, she did have tax issues so what income is that from? Since she hasnt had a new record that $$ has to be from the contract, and from old album sales, to me i think, its a combination of things that are holding her back, I mean if its an album deal she is locked into, and she really wanted to go, give them shit demos or songs you didnt use touch them up and give them over, and leave, i mean even Prince did that. My thinking is that if she leaves she loses that guaranteed income

The income could be for concerts she did idk... have to say Spin is right all the way with why she ain't dropping the CD...

robertlove said:

If she really wanted to make an album, she could have gone independent. total artistic freedom...but she didn't.

Maybe she just doesn't have another album in her.

This.

mjscarousal said:

namepeace said:

The fact that it was a fluke -- commercially, just as The Score was,

And the fact she did have help,

Do not detract from the accomplishment.

You can't fully deny either fact.

I am not denying she probably had some assistance, I thought the fluke insult was to the creativity of the entire album whether she received help or not. To be honest, it doesnt matter, its a great album regardless

[Edited 12/28/12 11:50am]

In some ways, fluke could be considered a compliment. My guess is that it wasn't designed to be the blockbuster it turned out to be, but a hit album + lead single, coming off the heels of The Score. They went for a home run and got a grand slam.

Gunsnhalen said:

I'm just curious if anyone has heard Lauryns unreleased/ underground stuff?

It's mainly accoustic works. But it shows taht she is a great writer & hell i think even though it's stripped down it's better than Miseducation.

I think Lauryn is talented enough to do stuff all on her own cause she is a great writer & singer. She may not be a master musician & need's help in that department.. but meh.

Plus i would rather these occassional songs over a messy 2nd album but that's just me

For those who havent heard these give them a spin.

This is proof right here that she has another great album in her.

If the world doesn't want that then that's the world's problem.

Proper follow-up to Miseducation? That might've been the case years ago but it's been so long that that point is now mute.

The simple fact might be that Lauryn has this thing about artifice, and it's all jumbled up in her head and not in a rational way. Plus she has 100 kids now. And Wyclef keeps dogging her in the press. Needless to say she has stuff.

So when she gets bashed by us for wearing something or saying something, it's just reinforcement for her that it's all about artifice and not about music or anything substantial ("They won't even listen to what I'm saying").

It's a shame that someone so talented like Lauryn can't seem to get it togehter, while someone like Alicia Keys gets labeled socially concious and the best thing we have going, when niether is true.

Like Justin Timberlake Alicia is a professional, and honestly that's how their music sounds. They can be counted on the come out with blockbuster material, but it'll never cross over into anything substansive like Lauryn, or Kurt or D'Angelo, emotional messes that just can't get it together.

It's the way of the world.

CynicKill said:

Gunsnhalen said:

I'm just curious if anyone has heard Lauryns unreleased/ underground stuff?

It's mainly accoustic works. But it shows taht she is a great writer & hell i think even though it's stripped down it's better than Miseducation.

I think Lauryn is talented enough to do stuff all on her own cause she is a great writer & singer. She may not be a master musician & need's help in that department.. but meh.

Plus i would rather these occassional songs over a messy 2nd album but that's just me

For those who havent heard these give them a spin.

This is proof right here that she has another great album in her.

If the world doesn't want that then that's the world's problem.

Proper follow-up to Miseducation? That might've been the case years ago but it's been so long that that point is now mute.

The simple fact might be that Lauryn has this thing about artifice, and it's all jumbled up in her head and not in a rational way. Plus she has 100 kids now. And Wyclef keeps dogging her in the press. Needless to say she has stuff.

So when she gets bashed by us for wearing something or saying something, it's just reinforcement for her that it's all about artifice and not about music or anything substantial ("They won't even listen to what I'm saying").

It's a shame that someone so talented like Lauryn can't seem to get it togehter, while someone like Alicia Keys gets labeled socially concious and the best thing we have going, when niether is true.

Like Justin Timberlake Alicia is a professional, and honestly that's how their music sounds. They can be counted on the come out with blockbuster material, but it'll never cross over into anything substansive like Lauryn, or Kurt or D'Angelo, emotional messes that just can't get it together.

It's the way of the world.

"The REeducation of Lauryn Hill", has been available for years....It's a great album and what the released version, should have been.

Well it ain't Gwen Stafani...

shorttrini said:

Timmy84 said:

Neither Lauryn nor the band have done anything profitable since Miseducation...

Maybe John Legend

And John Legend WAS part of the Conglomerate that helped make Miseducation!!!!! More than likely parlayed THAT situation into His career!!!!!

Uh... her life is a hot mess.

She's mentally ill. That's a good reason.

rdhull said:

Its simply that Lauryn isnt talented enough to be consistent. Misedu. was a fluke. And she got a LOT of help.

I agree.

Timmy84 said:

No, the fluke was in response to her not coming up with a successful follow-up. (Unplugged did good but it wasn't a total success commercially).

thats not wht a fluke means..but the situation proves that mised was one

and in retrospect Unplugged didnt really do shit but make her look even more less talented

mjscarousal said:

namepeace said:

The fact that it was a fluke -- commercially, just as The Score was,

And the fact she did have help,

Do not detract from the accomplishment.

You can't fully deny either fact.

I thought the fluke insult

Oh god shut up.

She wasn't able to deal with fame and success.It drove her crazy.Some people can handle it,some can't.

I've always wondered what it would have been like if she road that wave of success right after and released another record in 2000/early 2001.

Even as a 9 year old I remember her being so huge and respected during the Miseducation era. She was winning everything. First female to win 5 Grammys in one night. She was all over the place. And then she just sorta stopped in the middle of the movement she had going.