Lauryn Hill Sentence Delayed

It’s funny how money changes situations. L Boogie left a NJ courtroom today with an extra two weeks to pay Uncle Sam. TMZ reports that a judge granted her until May 6th to fork over a $968,000 debt. If convicted, she facing up to 3 years behind bars.

Hill’s lawyer also indicated that she recently signed at multi-million dollar deal with Sony and plans to take a $650,000 loan for the debt.

UPDATE: Lauryn addresses Sony deal via her tumblr.

“It has been reported that I signed a new record deal, and that I did this to pay taxes. Yes, I have recently entered into an agreement with Sony Worldwide Entertainment, to launch a new label, on which my new music will be released. And yes, I am working on new music.

I’ve remained silent, after an extensive healing process. This has been a 10+ year battle, for a long time played out behind closed doors, but now in front of the public eye. This is an old conflict between art and commerce… free minds, and minds that are perhaps overly tethered to structure. This is about inequity, and the resulting disenfranchisement caused by it. I’ve been fighting for existential and economic freedom, which means the freedom to create and live without someone threatening, controlling, and/or manipulating the art and the artist, by tying the purse strings.

It took years for me to get out of the ‘parasitic’ dynamic of my youth, and into a deal that better reflects my true contribution as an artist, and (purportedly) gives me the control necessary to create a paradigm suitable for my needs. I have been working towards this for a long time, not just because of my current legal situation, but because I am an artist, I love to create, and I need the proper platform to do so.

The nature of my new business venture, as well as the dollar amount reported, was inaccurate, only a portion of the overall deal. Keep in mind, my past recordings have sold over 50,000,000 units worldwide, earning the label a tremendous amount of money (a fraction of which actually came to me).

Only a completely complicated set of traps, manipulations, and inequitable business arrangements could put someone who has accomplished the things that I have, financially in need of anything. I am one artist who finds value in openly discussing the dynamics within this industry that force artists to compromise or distort themselves and what they do, rather than allowing them to make the music that people need. There are volumes that could (and will) be said.” – MLH

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  1. Oj da Cornball says:

    she may be going down

  2. IF IT AINT JEEZY THEN IT AINT REAL says:

    so ur not going to post jeezy new song

  3. Ramelo says:

    People think Lauryn went crazy, but I don’t think she did. If u look deep into what she said, especially in terms of the Over-Commercialization of the world let alone Hip Hop & Urban Music and then u look at how long we’ve been bitching and complaining about how bad the music has been, she’s a 100% correct. Urban Music has been a mere Minstrel Show & Travesty for years now.

  4. zeee says:

    @ramelo. real talk. i do hope she gets a break. Nuff love for Lauren

  5. Peekay says:

    Guess she shouldn’t have put her music career on hold for a decade

  6. Donn says:

    Paying your taxes has nothing to do with making good music.

  7. Homie says:

    It’s gotta suck to be a TMZ cameraman/groupie

  8. ZoomZoomDad-Otis says:

    What new Jeezy song?

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