A little over a week ago, the Music Hall of Williamsburg, was bustling with Lauryn Hill fans waiting to catch a glimpse of hip hop’s most mercurial songstress. The energy was ubiquitous, and as Q-Tip continued to spin records through his DJ set, the atmosphere was of excitement and intrigue. What would Lauryn bring? Over the last couple of years, the media has done a good job of painting the hip hop pariah into a corner – the general sentiment being that something must be amiss with Ms. Hill. Recent court proceedings have her facing 3 months in the slammer for tax-evasion. The narrative here had already been written, many wrote that this was a cash grab; another celebrity radical squashed by the system, only to turn repentant. What we got was something else entirely; Lauryn, was what she has always been: a genre unto herself. She’s an incomparable talent whose adaptability over hip hop, soul, reggae, and jazz is extraordinary. L-boogie stood defiantly.

“It’s funny how money change a situation…”

Perhaps the music industry will never let Lauryn Hill back in, willingly. Maybe she doesn’t want back in. She poses quite a paradox for the shiny-suit execs. New releases by the former Fugee would garner massive profits, serious loot. Yet at the same time, Lauryn stands as the single most defiant artist of hip hop’s modern era. Her only solo release to date, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, an iconoclastic record that transcends categorization, sold more than 7 million records and captured Ms. Hill five Grammy awards.

“Miscommunication leads to complication
My emancipation don’t fit your equation…”

After all that success, Lauryn didn’t turn her back on herself, she was further emboldened to pursue something this “neurotic toxic society” (her words and the title of a venomous new track) refuses to allow, self-fulfillment outside of its predetermined paradigms. There would be no bottle popping, no cowing to the industry. She decided to step away from the industry, to have a family and to pursue spiritual goals. Make no bones about it, Lauryn Hill makes deliciously seductive and poignant music for the mainstream, but she makes no Faustian bargains. Think what you will of her decisions, Lauryn is in full control. You get Lauryn or you get nothing (ask ‘Clef and Pras).

“Some want play young Lauryn like she dumb
But remember not a game new under the sun
Everything you did has already been done
I know all the tricks from Bricks to Kingston
My thing done made your kingdom want run
Now understand L. Boogie’s non violent
But if a thing test me, run for mi gun”

As the night went on, Lauryn picked up steam and seemed rejuvenated by her own music. Yes, she wasn’t without her quirks – at times alienating her band and backup singers in uncomfortably controlling moments. Such is the price of genius. What was undeniable was her presence and otherworldly talents. It’s like the legal troubles, the doubters, the IRS, the US judicial system, and the corporate record industry awoke a sleeping giant (#talkingsmacktoMichaelJordan #BryonRussell). There was no mention of her impending prison sentence, but Lauryn promised us she’d be back (#terminator).

“Can’t take a threat to mi newborn son
L’s been this way since creation
A groupie call, you fall from temptation
Now you want to ball over separation
Tarnish my image in your conversation
Who you gon’ scrimmage, like you the champion
You might win some but you just lost one .”

Lauryn Hill performing Neurotic Toxic Society

Alex Orphanides is a contributing writer for OnThaBubble. Read more from Alex on his blog Subversive Sentences.