Friday, September 9, 2011

Ms. Lauryn Hill

If you're unfamiliar with her work, I highly suggest you GET FAMILIAR. A couple Christmas's ago I begged my best friend Julian to get me her MTV Unplugged album/DVD from HMV. He tricked me and told me that the one I had found online (which was the last one in the GTA) had just been bought before he got to it. Then on Christmas day I saw this little rectangular gift under my tree...OF COURSE it was the DVD (and Ju Boo I'll forever love you for this!)
My point is, this album of hers is quite unheard of to the general public but it is definitely something special. Listening and analyzing the lyrics and the meaning behind the lyrics in this album will help one to understand much of her rebellion against the music industry. People say she "fell off" or "went crazy" but no one knows what she's been through.
the MTV Unplugged pieces expose the corruption and politics of the media and of the music industry that caused Ms. Hill to step back and look at the bigger picture of life. I'm in love with politics of all kinds, and listening to her music from the MTV Unplugged 2.0 (although quite cryptic) has opened me to a whole other arena of politics that is present in the lives of young artists especially.
Below are two of my favs from the album, enjoy and please don't hesitate to comment, respectfully of course. God Bless.

This song in my opinion and understanding, is about God, and how he can give you peace of mind as a woman when males in your life or even Satan leaves you feeling crazy. One many mistake it for being about a male a female is in love with, but my personal interpretation of it has allowed me to reconnect with God at a time in my life when I was most definitely drifting.

This is one of the more cryptic pieces, listen to it a couple times if it helps. It talks about her escaping the bondage she encountered belonging to a demanding record label and being a part of an industry often filled with corruption and lies.

2 comments:

  1. Lauryn Hill is truly a work of art. Her MTV unplugged albums is one of the most influential and insightful albums I've ever heard. People really need reconsider their outlooks on her if they believe shes fell off or is crazy. If that's crazy then I love crazy and fully support it. Her ability to reach someones soul through music so intensely while spreading knowledge about the society's and injustices we live in is a gift that should not be under-looked. I survived many hardships from this album alone and to this day every time I listen to peace of mind I will cry. Thank you Mss.Jenee for sharing this post !

    P.S
    "I find it hard to say" another amazing song I'm sure anyone will love, and I am certain Kelly would recommend too !

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  2. Sara, you are amazing. I love devoted fans like yourself, and I love the way you took her music and made it applicable to the battles you face in your life. That's what I think music should be used for (especially music with such depth and meaning like this album). She's just so genuine, I can't understand why anyone would NOT admire her.

    Thank you so much for commenting Sara, much appreciated <3

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