In court for tax evasion, Lauryn Hill referred to herself as a descendant of slaves, saying that this was why she couldn't pay her taxes. At Ebony, columnist Michael Arceneaux calls foul.
Lauryn, you are about as much a slave as I am a Xena, Warrior Princess. Frankly, if everyone had to pay taxes on the copy of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill when they bought it, you may just need to get over yourself and pay taxes on all of the fortune you've earned as a result.
Now, as you spend the next three months in prison, and after that, three more on house arrest, I imagine you'll have all the time in the world to put a lot of things into perspective. I say this with love (if you don't know, WE LOVE YOU) particularly when it comes to your new music you are contractually obligated to deliver in due time: Please don't come back singing to us as if you were sent to Guantanamo Bay.
As a matter of fact, before you even get back to music, take some time to truly reflect on the last decade of your life and where some of your actions have brought you. No, you didn't choose to enter America's "economic paradigm," and yes, it was "imposed" on you—as it is on all of us. We all have to deal with life as it is versus the way we want it to be.
Read Michael Arceneaux's entire piece at Ebony.com.
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Michael Arceneaux hails from Houston, lives in Harlem and praises Beyoncé’s name wherever he goes. Follow him on Twitter.