How Lauryn Hasn't Changed...And Why I Love Her For It

Lauryn Hill has been at the center of a lot of controversy this year. First there was the whole tax evasion situation and more recently her former Fugee, one time Haiti presidential candidate, who is 43, but apparently looks and feels 26, Wyclef Jean, called her out for supposedly lying to him about being the father of her first son Zion and accused her of some down low creeping.

The eight-time Grammy winner, known for her incredible singing and masterful rap skills, and equally eclectic personality, steered clear of responding directly to Jean. Instead she opted to address the situation on stage at one of her stops for the Nas: Life Is Good tour. Here’s what she had to say:

"When you are on the other side of liberation, just make sure you are not late. Be careful how you judge, there is a lot of deception out there. A lot of misunderstanding out there. A lot of miscommunication out there. A lot of false information out there. And notice, out of all the people who talk talk talk, who’s the silent one. There’s a lot of chat, but me….

And you know why? Let me tell you why I don’t chat back. Because I know that my brothers and my sisters are often times pawns in a bigger scheme so when they, under pressure, attack me, I love them still. It’s called the high road. Try taking it sometimes.

I’m not going to play my hand like the suppressive system would have me play my hand. Because I know [about] the oppression that took place in Haiti, and Jamaica, and America, and Africa and Europe. So just be patient. The truth always surfaces and especially, all you black folks out there who have had black mothers who carried you through thick and thin, when the system wanted to call them crazy, just remember that…

You know I know I’m not crazy, that’s why I can use the word so freely. Crazy like a fox? Ahead of the curve. People don’t like people that’s ahead of the curve but unfortunately that’s not my problem."

- Lauryn Hill

She hasn’t changed. And I love her for it. Check her out with Nas Wednesday at the Congress Theater.