Friday Roundup: Lauryn Hill Proves That All It Takes Is One
The *expectation* for people to release music is colonial and inconsiderate
Lauryn Hill is a legend and absolutely deserving of her BET Living Legend Icon award. If you disagree, you’re crazy. You’re not worth debating. You’re deserving of words that I shouldn’t say even if I want to. I saw a XXL tweet sharing a clip of over a dozen artists performing renditions of her classics for almost 20 minutes. It was one of the best award show tributes I’ve ever seen. But still, there were people in the comments daring to be different and questioning her impact, as if having a whole arena going up to her 30-year-old music doesn’t speak for itself.
A friend sent me a couple of other idle tweets people made about why she was undeserving. Most of the comments hinged on the insufficiency of “just” one solo album. But people conveniently forget the two Fugees albums, including The Score, that she contributed to; does that count for nothing? Even if she did only release one album, it was one of music’s most indelible hip-hop and R&B fusion moments. Sometimes, all it takes is one album to canonize yourself.
Fans are conditioned to view art through a capitalistic lens. We call ourselves consumers; that implies greed. As Vince Staples once noted, we recognize music as art, but we don’t hold music artists to the same standards as visual artists or movie directors. Once a musician puts out their first hit, they belong to us. We expect periodic output. And if they don’t release anything, they’re chastised and denigrated by entitled fans. It’s reflective of living in a society that extracts from us every day. In America, our labor and output are our worth, so we hold the same standards to artists. And record labels prey on that dynamic to extract from artists.
Too many music fans also guard their “legend” stamp like they’re processing an apartment application: how many years were they active? How much did they sell? How many imitators did they spawn? Some of y’all actually be worried about net worth just like a landlord. Like it or not, your individual, arbitrary opinion, just like mine, doesn’t mean much; it’s ok to not be so rigid about it.
Art has to be exempt from expectations. It’s a divine connection. Maybe it’s hard to accept that with some of the bullshit that major labels crank out and call art, but that’s not a real artist’s problem. Despite what your local greedy pastor says, you can’t tie a metric to a spiritual act. Those who are always going to be lost in the sauce.
If an artist releases a lot of work, they choose to be prolific. But artists don’t have to be to deserve honor. We can’t hold everyone to their standard.
In 2018, Vince Staples shared some sharp points about how American commerce has conditioned consumers to devalue music with Joey Bada$$ and Styles P. He noted that a visual artist can sell a piece for millions and watch it appreciate, while copyrighted music, with some innovative exceptions, is all available on iTunes for $1.99.
That line of logic extends into DSP subscribers gaining access to the full library of copyrighted music for what used to be the cost of one CD. There are generations of music fans who know no different than this environment. One piece of music has never had less value than in 2026.
“It’s art but we can’t name our own price,” Vince said. “It’s art but we create based on whatever nigga say. It’s art but we still makin’ music videos, mixtapes, and albums.“ Hill has been open numerous times about rejecting the industry’s expectations. In May, she replied to Instagram account Fraim’s “Why Lauryn Hill Never Released Another Album” IG slide by noting, “When you’re inspired and desire to be principled, what doesn’t get talked about enough is the drain…Most see dollars as opportunities only and often exclude the ‘sense.’ Even during her BET Awards acceptance speech, she noted that some people’s gifts are music, while some may be to console others. Everyone has their place, and having a gift doesn’t mean people or institutions get to exploit it. Some artists ambitiously run the numbers up, while others only offer what they’re comfortable with. Neither person is wrong.
Instead of appreciating her for the stand she took against the industry’s conveyor belt expectations, or how much heart she put into one project, music fans are overcome by their greed for more. It spoke to Hill’s versatility that everyone from Nas to Doja Cat to War & Treaty came onstage for her, and they all felt rooted in her musical legacy. How many artists with 3, 5, or 10 albums can say that?
Author Harper Lee didn’t get ridiculed for To Kill A Mockingbird being her only release; instead, the book was inculcated into the American literary curriculum. Actor Charles Laughton’s only time directing was The Night of the Hunter in 1955, and it’s now recognized as a cinema classic (after a critical reevaluation). It only takes one thought that turns into an idea that can cement your place in the history of humanity. Elsewhere in Vince’s convo, he noted that a visual artist can sell one painting and be canonized, but musical one-hit wonders get mocked. We see it happening to Hill. It seems no good deed goes unpunished in the music industry, because most consumers have been sapped of their ability to consider art as a human connection. Artistry in America is a raw deal; it’s no wonder that Hill stays out of the way. It shouldn’t have to be like that, though.
More Thoughts
I’m part of the New Eyes Collective, a group of Black culture workers with some big plans. After about two years of internal work, we finally went public yesterday and announced our first event: a celebration of the great Greg Tate. Pull up on us if you’re going to be in NYC on July 25th from 1- 5 PM. Here’s the RSVP; follow us on IG too!
Nyla Symone curated a rap collective called Honor Roll. She and the members (Ben Reilly, Swavay, Ruben Vincent, Marco Plus, Chris Patrick, Wynne, Nico Brim, Kay-C, Jordan Bell, and Jalaiah) may have done something here. For all the whining about there being a lack of hip-hop, it takes people like her to lead their followings to talented artists. We’re used to seeing it via podcasts, articles, playlisting and other endeavors. But linking like-minded artists and seeing what they cook up together is the next level. We need more Native Tongues and Soulquarians-type collectives.
Monaleo reflected on almost dying of an ovarian torsion. She said that she literally had to scream to get the doctors to take her seriously; she could’ve died. I hear all the time about Black people not being believed or properly cared for by healthcare professionals. I guess in a country that doesn’t value our humanity, it’s also hard to value our health.
This week, Lupe told Justin Hunte and Culture United that he and Nas aren’t high up on the list of lyricists. His logic was that they wouldn’t sound as good acapella as the “hundreds” of battle rappers he lauded. I watch battle rap a lot, and think they’re extremely underrated; someone like Murda Mook or Loaded Lux is a lyrical genius on par with pretty much anyone. But I also think Lupe and Nas would be able to hold their own right next to them in a cipher (NOT a URL style battle). I think sometimes geniuses like Lupe operate on thought patterns that aren’t conducive to being shared with people; maybe sometimes it should just pour into creativity. When some artists are loathe to do interviews, I understand.