Lauryn Hill: A Lyrical Abolitionist

crunktastic. (Un)Clutching My Mother’s Pearls, or Ratchetness and the Residue of Respectability. 31 Dec. 2012, www.crunkfeministcollective.com/2012/12/31/unclutching-my-mothers-pearls-or-ratchetness-and-the-residue-of-respectability/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop" musical and video production both speak to the (dis)respectability politics that Black women are faced with by society. In the following lyrics, Lauryn Hill insinuates that it is only human for Black women to experience such politics, just after describing the choices of a Black women that denies her acts of going back to a man who isn't treating her right-- which is something society might view a Black woman as disrespectable for: "Now, Lauryn is only humanDon't think I haven't been through the same predicamentLet it sit inside your head like a million women in Philly, PennIt's silly when girls sell their souls because it's inLook at where you be in, hair weaves like Europeans"Just as the Crunk Feminist Collective does, Lauryn Hill critiques the ways in which Black women can fall victim to intersecting social pressures, relating to both their race and their gender, by confronting common experiences of Black women that are conforming to-- often racialized-- gender roles and expectations involving their appearance and sexuality. Lauryn Hill visually depicts such (dis)respectability politics by producing a music video that displays the reality of a Black women trying to beat respectability politics through adopting what the non-Black collective requires on the left, and Black women disregarding disrespectability politics on the right of her video.

Morgan, Joan. “Hip-hop Feminist.” When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip-Hop Feminist Breaks It Down, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, New York, New York, 2017, pp. 49–62.

Lauryn Hill's "Peace of Mind" connects to the theory of "fuckin' with the grays", in that the piece can be viewed as a message to Hip Hop. In the following lyrics Lauryn Hill's lyrics can be viewed as her depicting her relationship with Hip Hop: "To finally be in love and know the real meaning of a lasting relationship, not based on ownershipI trust every part of you cause all that you say you doYou love me despite myselfSometimes I, I fight myselfI just can't believe that you would have anything to do with someone so insecure someone so imature"In this verse, Lauryn Hill may be speaking to a relationship with Hip-Hop that-originates and continues on spiritually, separate from the record deals that have arguably came to own the Hip-Hop industry. By discussing her appreciation for the revolutionary art and culture within all of Hip-Hop, Lauryn Hill chooses to accept Hip-Hop's upliftment of the Black community, situational degradation of Black women, and often harmful engagement with the non-Black collective. Lauryn Hill illustrates her unconditional love for Hip-Hop, which extends past black and white theories-- and into gray theories.While Joan Morgan argues about the value of Black representation and notions of success, which Hip-Hop can provide, Lauryn Hill discusses how she honors and trusts Hip-Hop for that exact reason.

Gaunt, Kyra Danielle. “Introduction.” The Games Black Girls Play: Learning the Ropes from Double-Dutch to Hip-Hop, New York University Press, New York, New York, 2006, pp. 1–18.

"Superstar" by Lauryn Hill ( https://youtu.be/f_cUk41450w )Within Kyra Danielle Gaunt's work, she expresses how Black girls/women's cultural plays amongst and between one another is used to negotiate their own relationships with their sense of identity, self-worth, self-expression, and self-celebration in a world that rejects them. In Lauryn Hill's work, she shares the following lyric that alludes to the value of Black women's criticisms of mainstream culture and dominant narratives: "Music is supposed to inspire (Music is supposed to inspire)How come we ain't gettin' no higher? (How come, how come)Now tell me your philosophy yeahOn exactly what an artist should beShould they be someone with prosperityAnd no concept of reality?"Lauryn Hill validates the cultural contributions of young Black women by advocating for a more diverse inclusion of narratives and to expand our ideas of who should be considered a cultural producer or artist.

El Henson, P.A.L. (February 7, 2023). “Note on Libidinal Economy.” in “Brief Notes on Afterlife of Slavery Studies.” AFRICAM 140.2: The Galaxy of Hip-Hop Feminisms, Week 4 Lecture. UC Berkeley, Berkeley.

Lauryn Hill's lyrical production, "Consumerism", calls attention to the conversation of the libidinal economy by touching on the processes involved in Whiteness' projections of their "desires, fantasies, and pleasures as well as fears, phobias and violent consumptions", of which are driven by sexuality and unconsciousness, onto Black bodies (Peace and Love El Henson, Slide 12). Lauryn Hill confronts real life examples of the libidinal economy utilizing Black bodies to reinforce White supremacy, as well as the corrupt perspectives of those in positions of power in the following line:"Help the people cope sell 'em dope from a new tropeSynthetic hope, life spent walking on a tightropeInfantile masturbation, juvenile, no educationMental castration, a generation forced to labor for a nation"... "Corporate production in a state of mass combustionGreed and lust and dangerous repercussionsTo escape the rupture they speak of raptureWhile still going after the things they spiritually capture"In describing how the, predominantly White and cis-male, American government compromised the health of the Black community in order to gain a new drug-addict and/or drug-dealer trope that they could assign to Blackness, she describes the libidinal economy's natural prioritization to keep Blackness as inferior to Whiteness. Finally, she describes Whiteness' motives of greed, lust, rapture, and spiritual captivity of Blackness-- all of which aligns with characteristics of the libidinal economy.

Harrison, Da'Shaun L. Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness. Foreword by Kiese Laymon. North Atlantic Books, 2021.

In Lauryn Hill's lyrical production, "Freedom Time", she touches on concepts that can be interpreted as those involved in the issue of the White collective's relationship with the Black fat as threatening. In the following verse, Lauryn Hill can be understood as speaking to the relationship that Black people have with nutrition and greater chances of survival, both of which are controlled by and in disparity with relation to that of Whiteness:"Hungry and thirstyFor good meat we would eatAnd still, dined at the table of deceit"This verse can be understood as describing the Black experience with nutrition and greater chances of survival in terms of the historical enslavement and systematic impoverishment of the Black community, as well as the modern-day food deserts and economic disadvantage that Black people continue to face. By keeping the Black body depleted of nourishment, the Black body faces a greater probability of becoming diseased, disabled, weaken, and shrunken. Thus, Whiteness decreases and demobilizes the Black body that Whiteness already deems as a threat.

Afro-Pessimism: An Introduction, Racked & Dispatched, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2017

In Lauryn Hill's visual production of her song, "Doo Wop" she uses choices in imagery to relay notions of Afro-Pessimism, which marks anti-Blackness as an undeniable rule to the nature of modern social relations. Lauryn Hill includes the depiction of a Black community that embraces fashion (hoops, , hairstyles (ie. afro, locs, etc.), and particular engagements (ie. dance moves, community bonding events, peer interactions, etc.) that reflect certain unique cultural aspects of the Black collective-- relative the time period of the music video's release. Side-by-side, Lauryn Hilljuxtaposes that of a Black community that appears to be adopting to more of what the White collective was demanding in order to find a Black person respectable (straight hairstyles, suits, more modest clothing, etc.). Lauryn Hill illustrates the non-Black collective's understanding of Blackness as already inferior or disposable in the latter depictions' differentiable nature, of which required the actors in the music video to reject cultural aspects that were more familiar with the Black community. In choosing to present the "respectable" subjects as obviously unhappy and discontent with their situtations, Lauryn Hill accomplishes the portrayal of a message that recognizes and rejects concepts the ways in which Afro-Pessimism shames and disregards Blackness.

Wilderson III, Frank B. Red, white & black: Cinema and the structure of US antagonisms. Duke University Press, 2010.

Within the lyrics of "I Get Out", Lauryn Hill confronts the concept of White ontological coherence through comparing the comparative relationships that White and Black people have with their identities. The concept of White ontological coherence involves the construction of Whiteness as the default epitome of normalcy; thus, they are placed into a beneficial "box" of labels that merely positions them as superior to the abnormal and inferior Black collective. Considering that White ontological coherence relies on the placement of Blackness in a particularly oppressive box, Lauryn Hill directs her critiques at Whiteness' enforcement of disguised mind control and identity politics in the following lyrics:"No more compromisesI see past your disguisesBlinding me through mind controlStealing my eternal soulAppealing through material, to keep me as your slaveBut I'll get outI get out of all your boxes"

Costa, Vargas João Helion. “Introduction: The Urgency Imperative of Genocide.” Never Meant to Survive: Genocide and Utopias in Black Diaspora Communities, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., Lanham, Maryland, 2010, pp. 17–27.

The lyrical production of "I Get Out" by Lauryn Hill speaks to the life-threatening "condition" that it is to be Black in a society that is particularly comfortable with the issue of anti-Black pornography, of which normalizes the continuation of Black genocide. In the lyric, "Knowing my condition is the reason I must die", Lauryn Hill could be understood as expressing her experience existing as a Black woman constantly faced with the obsession of her people being met and described with vulgarity. Whether applied metaphorically or literally, asserting that her identity as a Black woman is a reason for her death could describe the emotional captivity that existing in an anti-Black pornographic society has over her and/or the real on-going genocide of the Black community.

“(1951) We Charge Genocide • BlackPast.” BlackPast, 21 May 2019, www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/primary-documents-global-african-history/we-charge-genocide-historic-petition-united-nations-relief-crime-united-states-government-against/.‌

"Consumerism" by Lauryn Hill encourages the collective to interrogate institutionalized systems of power that are used to reinforce social hierarchies to maintain the racist social order of America. In the following verse, Lauryn Hill describes a sense of evil that plays a crucial factor in upholding America's corrupt government:"Ageism, sexism, racism, chauvinismCapitalism running through them like the rumour businessSeparatism, skepticism, modernism, atheismTelevision running through them like an organismMechanism, despotism, poisoning the ecosystemSatanism running through them like a politicianHedonism, hypocrism, nihilism, narcissismEgotism running through them, need an exorcism"While Lauryn Hill speaks of multiple forms of oppression that the Black collective is met with, her discussion creates space for critical inspection of how the American infrastructure particularly attacks Black bodies. In addition to structures of power, she describes characteristics of Whiteness that perpetuate the literal genocide of Black bodies, including but not limited to the egotism, narcissim, separatism, skepticism, and hypocrism that justifications to anti-Black genocide are often led with.

“Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: An Interview with Dylan Rodriguez.” Black Agenda Report, 2 Nov. 2022, www.blackagendareport.com/insurgency-and-counterinsurgency-interview-dylan-rodriguez. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

Lauryn Hill's "I Get Out" touches on the issue of counterinsurgency by discussing the ineffectiveness of performative activism that poses to be a solution to the oppression of Black women, thus defusing moves toward true Black abolitionist praxis. In the following verse, Lauryn Hill discusses her refusal of counterinsurgency, and juxtaposes it with her dedication to authentic insurgency:"Your stinkin' resolution is no type of solutionPreventin' me from freedomMaintainin' your pollutionI won't support your lie no more, I won't even try no moreIf I have to die, oh Lord, that's how I choose to live"Both Lauryn Hill and Dylan Rodriguez successfully articulate the harmfulness of counterinsurgency. They both acknowledge the abolition's natural requirement of both personal understandings of structures of power and the application of self-agency in alignment with actual revolutionary praxis.

Cullors, Patrisse, et al. “Abolition and Reparations: Histories of Resistance, Transformative Justice, and Accountability”. AK Press, 2021.

Forgive Them Father - Lauryn Hill ( https://youtu.be/EY_sNFqHldE )Lauryn Hill's lyrical production of "Forgive Them Father" speaks to the themes of the production of Patrisse Cullors, et al., including radical forgiveness and care, in order to move toward collective healing and restoration. Prior to the chorus lyric, "Forgive them father for they know not what they do", the following lyric touches on the perspective of the Black collective:"Sick of men trying to pull strings like GepettoWhy black people always be the ones to settleMarch through these streets like Soweto".Lauryn Hill's lyrics being inclusive of the perspectives of the oppressors of the Black community and the Black community which falls victim to such oppression, emphasizes the importance of viewing both the perpetrator and the victim with empathy-- an idea supported by Cullors. Her recognition of the social and racial positionality of both Black subjects and anti-Black non-Black subjects illustrate an empathetic abolitionist approach that prioritizes emotional solidarity. Her decision to advocate for an emotional sense of solidarity is led with the belief that such solidarity can serve the population in their discovery of and journey to abolitionist solutions that free us all.

Wharton, Trina Lynn. "The Revolutionary Genius of Lauryn Hill: A Case for Hip Hop Feminism and Abolitionist Pedagogy." In Women's Studies Quarterly, vol. 45, no. 3/4, 2017, pp. 124-142.

In her lyrical production, "I Get Out", Lauryn Hill critiques the Black community's seemingly-surrendering relationship to the systems of American modern-enslavement of their minds, bodies, and souls. One verse that supports such thought processes is as follows:"The system is a jokeOh you'd be smart to save your soul, and escape this mind controlYou spend your life in sacrifice to a system for the deadOh are you sure, where's the passion in this living"..."Obligated to a system, getting less than you're deservingWho made up these schools I sayWho made up these rules I sayAnimal conditioning, just to keep us as a slave"The "mind control" that Lauryn Hill discusses Black subjects as needing to escape from is explained as a crucial mechanism involved with the continued subjugation of the Black population. The lack of "passion in this living", the acceptance of "less than you're deserving", and "animal conditioning" she speaks of can be connected to the misused relationship that the collective can have with intercommunal technologies. Both Lauryn Hill and Andrienne Maree Brown discuss healing amongst and between the Black community as requiring Black folk to interrogate conditioned ways of thinking, first as individuals and eventually as community members concerned with the healing of other community members. From the words of Brown, "it's not about pack hunting an external enemy, it's about deep shifts in our own ways of being". Touching on the missed opportunities for building community that the Black collective experiences, Brown discusses how social media could be approached a.) with an understanding that existing in real time engages folks with real self-reflection and b.) a tool to bring the community closer together. Thus, posing solutions to Lauryn Hill's description of the issue of mind control.

In Lauryn Hill's productions, "Superstar", "I gotta find peace of mind", and "Doo Wop", she offers the Black community a new perspective on the underrepresented and overlooked experiences of Black girls/women. In "Doo Wop", Lauryn Hill successfully portrays the social pressures and expectations that are placed on Black women based on their race and gender. Additionally, "I gotta find peace of mind", Lauryn Hill advocates for the cultivation of self-love and appreciation as it extends into Black women's relationship with Hip Hop. Lastly, in "Superstar", Lauryn Hill advocates for a greater inclusion and appreciation of Black women's voices in Hip Hop. Overall, the productions challenge societal expectations of Black women, demand representation for Black women in Hip Hop and in society, and promote self-love and self-determination as means toward healing.

One of the strongest themes that occurs amongst Lauryn Hill's productions, "Doo Wop", "Freedom Time", and "Consumerism" is the advocacy for self-agency, self-love, and self-acceptance as means for self-empowerment. In interrogating White America's construction of normalcy as Whiteness, she highlights the need for Black women to practice falling in love with and embracing what they define to be beautiful, to feel right, and to feel respectable on their own terms. Lauryn Hill creates a space for the Black collective, particularly Black women, to reimagine the world on their own terms. Overall, Lauryn Hill contributes to the abolishment of the libidinal economy by empowering Black women to disregard such social rules and expectations for themselves and rethink social conditioning that may keep them compliant.

In Lauryn Hill's lyrical productions, "I Get Out" and "Consumerism", she offers critical analysis of Genocide Studies by explaining the challenges that come with existing in an environment that is obsessed with the notion of your people being subjugated, violated, and killed. She describes how White ontological coherence justifies such processes involved with the ongoing genocide of Black people, while also controlling Black women's livelihood. Lauryn Hill's advocacy for other Black community members to break free from the chains of society, also advocates for the confrontation of and rebellion toward the infrastructures that allow for the mass spiritual and physical lives of Black Americans. Ultimately, in advocating for the self-determination of Black people, educating her audience on the processes involved with the oppression of Black people, and the interrogation of institutions, Lauryn Hill works to further inform the field of Genocide Studies.

Within Lauryn Hill's "I Get Out" and "Forgive Them Father", she offers her audiences with alternative approaches to abolitionism. In "I Get Out", she criticizes current moves toward abolitionist praxis in order to bring the collective to rethink their current methodologies. She then suggests to a more self-reflective and intercommunal approach by advocating for audiences to interrogate their own ways of thinking and how it may adhere to current oppressive programmed ways of thinking. Finally, she emphasizes the importance of an empathetic component within the field of abolition, of which involves viewing even oppressors with compassion and forgiveness. Overall, in her productions, she challenges current ways of thinking and encourages folks to delve deeper into new, potentially more uncomfortable or unfamiliar, ideas.