Lauryn Hill Takes To Tumblr To Explain $1 Million Tax Troubles, New Sony Deal

In an open letter to fans on her Tumblr blog, Lauryn Hill addressed her tax problems and the Sony deal that will solve then. Last year, Hill pleaded guilty to 3 charges of failing to file federal income tax returns. She faced a $968,000 tax bill and possible jail time until news surfaced of a $1 million deal with Sony that includes a $650,000 loan to begin repaying her debt. Last night, Hill turned to Tumblr to explain the mess to her fans. Here is the full text of the letter:

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