Lauryn Hill Defends Discipline, Explains Why She "Stepped Away" From Industry

BYErika Marie13.1K Views
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Lauryn Hill, Selah Marley, Instagram
She penned a lengthy message on IG sharing her personal struggles as she attempted to protect her children from the perils of the industry.

The interweb chatter has caused Lauryn Hill to share a few thoughts on Instagram. Recently, Lauryn and Rohan Marley's daughter Selah Marley has been on Instagram Live connecting with supporters and sharing stories from her childhood. Selah has talked through what she calls her traumas of her absent father and the physical discipline of her mother, and soon the 21-year-old's discourse went viral. Rohan Marley has come forward to apologize to his daughter for any hurt he caused her in the past, and now Lauryn Hill has surfaced to offer up her insight into why she used spanked her children. Selah described it as "some slave sh*t."

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"Selah has every right to express herself, I encourage it, but she also got the discipline that black children get because we are held to a different standard," Lauryn wrote on IG. "The disciple was seen through the lens of a young child who also had no place to reconcile me as mom, and me as a larger than life public figure."

She continued, "If I am guilty of anything it is disciplining in anger, not in disciplining." Lauryn explained that the "toxic venom" she was subjected to from critics and the outside world "seeped into my home." She added, "An entire operation trying to break an artist with a voice and knowledge of herself—way ahead of her time—was in motion. I was affected, my family was affected, my children were affected."

The music icon went on to say that she's had open dialogues with Selah and then revealed that she "stepped away" from the spotlight. "Weening myself and my family from the addictions that systems of control attempt to use through fame and celebrity is no joke. It's painful and people were not above using my children to exploit me." Read through her lengthy message below.

About The Author
Erika Marie is a seasoned journalist, editor, and ghostwriter who works predominantly in the fields of music, spirituality, mental health advocacy, and social activism. The Los Angeles editor, storyteller, and activist has been involved in the behind-the-scenes workings of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades. E.M. attempts to write stories that are compelling while remaining informative and respectful. She's an advocate of lyrical witticism & the power of the pen. Favorites: Motown, New Jack Swing, '90s R&B, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, & Punk; Funk, Soul, Harlem Renaissance Jazz greats, and artists who innovate, not simply replicate.
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