I think Axl might be writing press releases for other artists now

[Randy Lahey]

http://mslaurynhill.tumblr.com/post/48885675853/it-has-been-reported-that-i-signed-a-new-record

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

[SMG]

I can't even be arsed to read that.

[The Glow Inc.]

Haha yeah she sounds a bit like him.

That being said, her new song is amazing.

[Randy Lahey]

I think what she wrote sounds almost exactly like something Axl would write.

[Facekicker]

It all makes sense now, all those years of silence....Axl was masquerading as a black woman. Fuckin hell

[TombRaider]

It all makes sense now, all those years of silence....Axl was masquerading as a black woman. Fuckin hell

[Randy Lahey]

So, which will come out first, Lauryn Hill's new album or Chinese Demcracy II? I'd have to flip a coin to decide who I would even bet on: Red or Black.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Randy Lahey

[dalsh327]

Yeah I read that and thought the same thing, Lauryn's known to do/say loopy shit and even delay shows.

Now "under protest" she's with a major label *L*. Didn't want to do Kickstarter?

At least Axl pays his taxes. I'm sure he wishes he went "underground" to avoid the taxman.

Another one:

"For the past several years, I have remained what others would consider underground. I did this in order to build a community of people, like-minded in their desire for freedom and the right to pursue their goals and lives without being manipulated and controlled by a media protected military industrial complex with a completely different agenda. Having put the lives and needs of other people before my own for multiple years, and having made hundreds of millions of dollars for certain institutions, under complex and sometimes severe circumstances, I began to require growth and more equitable treatment, but was met with resistance. I entered into my craft full of optimism (which I still possess), but immediately saw the suppressive force with which the system attempts to maintain it’s control over a given paradigm. I’ve seen people promote addiction, use sabotage, black listing, media bullying and any other coercion technique they could, to prevent artists from knowing their true value, or exercising their full power. These devices of control, no matter how well intentioned (or not), can have a devastating outcome on the lives of people, especially creative types who must grow and exist within a certain environment and according to a certain pace, in order to live and create optimally.

I kept my life relatively simple, even after huge successes, but it became increasingly obvious that certain indulgences and privileges were expected to come at the expense of my free soul, free mind, and therefore my health and integrity.

So I left a more mainstream and public life, in order to wean both myself, and my family, away from a lifestyle that required distortion and compromise as a means for maintaining it. During this critical healing time, there were very few people accessible to me who had not already been seduced or affected by this machine, and therefore who could be trusted to not try and influence or coerce me back into a dynamic of compromise. Individual growth was expected to take place unnaturally, or stagnated outright, subject to marketing and politics.

Addressing critical issues like pop culture cannibalism or its manipulation of the young at the expense of everything, was frowned upon and discouraged by limiting funding, or denying it outright. When one has a prolific creative output like I did/do, and is then forced to stop, the effects can be dangerous both emotionally and psychologically, both for the artist and those in need of that resource. It was critically important that I find a suitable pathway within which to exist, without being distorted or economically strong-armed.

During this period of crisis, much was said about me, both slanted and inaccurate, by those who had become dependent on my creative force, yet unwilling to fully acknowledge the importance of my contribution, nor compensate me equitably for it. This was done in an effort to smear my public image, in order to directly affect my ability to earn independently of this system. It took a long time to locate and nurture a community of people strong enough to resist the incredibly unhealthy tide, and more importantly see through it. If I had not been able to make contact with, and establish this community, my life, safety and freedom, would have been directly affected as well as the lives, safety and freedom of my family. Failure to create a non toxic, non exploitative environment was not an option. (via Lauryn’s Tumblr)

[wasted]

Objectivism is the key.

[Randy Lahey]

Interesting stuff. I really like both Lauryn and Axl. I think it is kind of cool when people take a stand and put themselves out there like this. I just wish they would give specific examples of what they allude to.

I also dig her new song; though it will obviously not be a hit.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Randy Lahey

[luciusfunk]

I can't even be arsed to read that.

[magisme]

Too grammatically sound to be Axl. Just as retarded, though.

[netcord]

It all makes sense now, all those years of silence....Axl was masquerading as a black woman. Fuckin hell

LOL

[Randy Lahey]

I hope we get another one of these press releases from Axl when the GNR Blu Ray falls through.

[stumbleine]

I love Lauryn too!

I seem to like the troubled,emotionally fucked up artists.

lol I guess.

[Randy Lahey]

I love Lauryn too!

I seem to like the troubled,emotionally fucked up artists.

They seem more real to me.

[wasted]

As Brad Pitt said You can never fill that hole.

[sailaway]

Touche! ^

[Randy Lahey]

This sounds like another press release that Axl could have written.

Lauryn Hill upon getting out of jail:

Consumerism is part of some material I was trying to finish before I had to come in. We did our best to eek out a mix via verbal and emailed direction, thanks to the crew of surrogate ears on the other side. Letters From Exile is material written from a certain space, in a certain place. I felt the need to discuss the underlying socio-political, cultural paradigm as I saw it. I haven’t been able to watch the news too much recently, so I’m not hip on everything going on. But inspiration of this sort is a kind of news in and of itself, and often times contains an urgency that precedes what happens. I couldn’t imagine it not being relevant. Messages like these I imagine find their audience, or their audience finds them, like water seeking it’s level

Edited October 7, 2013 by Randy Lahey

[saber_]

Axl uses more spectacular compound/run-on sentences, which flow effortlessly.

[D-GenerationX]

I think what she wrote sounds almost exactly like something Axl would write.

It absolutely does.

[wfuckinga]

Too grammatically sound to be Axl. Just as retarded, though.

[phaeryen]

If you really compare, the lawyer-letters by Axl are far worse. I can follow Lauryn Hill through what she wrote and completely get it all, with Axl, not so lucky. google up the axl lawyer-style letters, they really are far worse. Though I do get the joke, she does use very clinical and professional or business language here.

[Blusky Grenfield]

Just because a stupid moron can't read more than one proper sentence per year doesn't mean the writer is a nutjob. In my opinion, both Axl's and Lauryn's language is precise and sophisticated, a rare treat these days. They could give their fans the "hey how you're doing buy my product" phrases but instead the go for some actual ommunication - only to get shit after shit for it in return. Fuck that. Get off your high horse everyone and appreciate the gift of expression through language culture has provided you with. If you got no use for that, fair enough. But stop bashing people just because their thoughts and choice of words are too complex to fit in a braindead world where the major form of communication is an empty one liner send from a fucking cell phone.

[Facekicker]

Brevity is the soul of wit.