Inside Lauryn Hill....Breaks Her Silence

After being absent off the music scene for 8 years with no new music and tons of speculations and rumors about her mental state, Lauryn Hill finally breaks her silence. Hill discuss the state of music, her 5 children and new music.  It doesn't take much for a group of 30-somethings to get nostalgic about L-boogie. Her solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, on at a bar, and it takes the crowd right back to college days or high-school summers.  NPR scored a one on one interview with Lauryn Hill and asked some of the questions that all her fans have been wondering:

Why did you stop singing music:

"There were a number of different reasons," she says. "But partly, the support system that I needed was not necessarily in place. There were things about myself, personal-growth things, that I had to go through in order to feel like it was worth it. In fact, as musicians and artists, it's important we have an environment — and I guess when I say environment, I really mean the [music] industry, that really nurtures these gifts. Oftentimes, the machine can overlook the need to take care of the people who produce the sounds that have a lot to do with the health and well-being of society, or at least some aspect of society. And it's important that people be given the time that they need to go through, to grow, so that the consciousness level of the general public is properly affected. Oftentimes, I think people are forced to make decisions prematurely. And then that sound radiates."

About The Music

"I'm trying to open up my range and really sing more," she says. "With The Fugees initially, and even with Miseducation, it was very hip-hop — always a singing over beats. I don't think people have really heard me sing out. So if I do record again, perhaps it will have an expanded context. Where people can hear a bit more."

The editor of this article noted when he left this interview he was overwhelmed A) because he met Lauryn Hill and got the interview.  B) Because now Lauryn Hill is doing fine. 

"I don't know if you know this, but I have five children," she says. "The youngest is 2 now, so she's old enough that I can leave her for a period of time and know she's going to be OK.  I'm starting to get excited again. Believe it or not, I think what people are attracted to about me, if anything, is my passion. People got exposed to my passion through music and song first.

 (READ FULL INTERVIEW CLICK NOW)