Lauryn Hill was rumored to be a guest of Nicki Minaj’s at Summer Jam, but the former Fugees member is going on the record to clear up the rumors. In a letter posted on Twitter, Ms. Hill explained that she was not scheduled to be Nicki’s guest at Sunday’s show. Instead, Nas was the one who invited her to perform.
She also addressed Nicki’s absence and supported her decision to pull out from the concert after being dissed by Hot 97 jock Peter Rosenberg. “We have to find a better way to commercially exploit music, while giving artists their proper respect,” wrote Hill.
Nicki responded to her letter on Twitter. “Thank u Lauryn. Nas was coming out on my set, u were coming out 2 perform w/him. That was within my set that was going 2 continue w/foxy,” she tweeted. “Coming from Lauryn it means the world. No one deserves this treatment. We’re all out here working. Have respect for your guests.”
Read what Lauryn had to say below.
No disrespect to Nicki, but I need to clear up an inaccuracy. I was not scheduled to be a special guest on her set at Summer Jam, I was invited by Nas to perform with him. I don’t have details on exactly what transpired between the station and the artists, but I do support artists standing by their beliefs, and walking with integrity. We have to find a better way to commercially exploit music, while giving artists their proper respect. This cannot be done while taking their contributions for granted, or trying to control the scope of their growth and power through threats and fear tactics. We can do better than this, there is a better way, or else ‘we’ (the proverbial we) find ourselves in danger of being hypocrites!!!
Ms. Lauryn Hill