With almost unbearable anticipation, the Raggamuffin crowd swelled and surged when Lauryn Hill’s band took to the stage.It felt like every person in the room had waited patiently for 12 years to see Ms Hill perform in Australia and just couldn’t wait any longer.
It was an eternity before Lauryn Hill graced us with her presence, just long enough to make the audience nervous but then incite a hysterical response.
From her role in The Fugees to ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’, Lauryn proved to be one of Hip Hop’s most influential women.
When MTV Unplugged 2.0 failed to reach the heights of her solo debut, she retreated from the industry amid rumours of a breakdown. Lauryn Hill is yet to release a full-length follow-up so we knew her set list would be limited.
Her eccentric styling was questionable but that voice and that flow was undeniable. The audience appeared stunned as she spit rhymes so fast and sang so sweetly on the tracks ‘Lost Ones’, ‘Ex-Factor’ and ‘The Final Hour’. The arrangements, so different from the album, made it nearly impossible to sing along with her but much easier to watch in awe.
The former Fugees front woman gave props to band-mate Wyclef Jean, who cancelled his tour with the Raggamuffin festival to continue his ‘Hope For Haiti’ initiatives. Lauryn then launched into some Fugees favourites, ‘How Many Mics’, and‘Fu-Gee-La’ culminating in a defiant rendition of ‘Ready Or Not’.
Dabbing her top lip with a handkerchief, it was clear the Lauryn Hill show was heating up. With ‘Turn Your Lights Down Low’, the reggae fans could feel the spirit of legend Bob Marley in the room. When his son, Julian Marley, joined Lauryn onstage to sing his Dad’s part in the duet, it was clear this would be the highlight of the show.
Lauryn continued to command her band like a dictator and the crowd like a queen. When the unmistakable piano intro of 'Doo Wop' (That Thing) brought the house down it was tinged with the sad realisation that this show was coming to an end. We danced. We sang. We rhymed. We cheered. We chanted for more.
Come back again soon, Lauryn Hill.
See Lauryn captivate an audience in the 'Ready Or Not' video below.
It was an eternity before Lauryn Hill graced us with her presence, just long enough to make the audience nervous but then incite a hysterical response.
From her role in The Fugees to ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’, Lauryn proved to be one of Hip Hop’s most influential women.
When MTV Unplugged 2.0 failed to reach the heights of her solo debut, she retreated from the industry amid rumours of a breakdown. Lauryn Hill is yet to release a full-length follow-up so we knew her set list would be limited.
Her eccentric styling was questionable but that voice and that flow was undeniable. The audience appeared stunned as she spit rhymes so fast and sang so sweetly on the tracks ‘Lost Ones’, ‘Ex-Factor’ and ‘The Final Hour’. The arrangements, so different from the album, made it nearly impossible to sing along with her but much easier to watch in awe.
The former Fugees front woman gave props to band-mate Wyclef Jean, who cancelled his tour with the Raggamuffin festival to continue his ‘Hope For Haiti’ initiatives. Lauryn then launched into some Fugees favourites, ‘How Many Mics’, and‘Fu-Gee-La’ culminating in a defiant rendition of ‘Ready Or Not’.
Dabbing her top lip with a handkerchief, it was clear the Lauryn Hill show was heating up. With ‘Turn Your Lights Down Low’, the reggae fans could feel the spirit of legend Bob Marley in the room. When his son, Julian Marley, joined Lauryn onstage to sing his Dad’s part in the duet, it was clear this would be the highlight of the show.
Lauryn continued to command her band like a dictator and the crowd like a queen. When the unmistakable piano intro of 'Doo Wop' (That Thing) brought the house down it was tinged with the sad realisation that this show was coming to an end. We danced. We sang. We rhymed. We cheered. We chanted for more.
Come back again soon, Lauryn Hill.
See Lauryn captivate an audience in the 'Ready Or Not' video below.
Copyright : Vh1 Autsralia
