S. Samuel
Grammy-winning singer Lauryn Hill may be back to making new music, however, new reports claim she once again owes the government a hefty amount in back taxes.
According to reports, the Internal Revenue Service is back to targeting L-Boogie.
According to tax documents filed on January 14 and obtained by Radar, the IRS has served Hill with seven separate liens for a grand total of $866,868.05. The IRS claims that in 2005, Hill failed to pay $422,008.26. For 2006, she owes $19,838.75; 2007, $61,158.50; 2008, $58,405.71; 2009, $30370.91; 2010, $13,247.73; and 2011, $261,838.19. (RadarOnline)
Lauryn raised eyebrows last November when she lived up to the hype with a publicized comeback performance in New York.
Throughout her two-hour set, her musicians were watching for her signals; to bear down on a vamp or silence it, to unveil pretty, elaborately planned vocal counterpoint from her three backup singers or to whip up a churchy fervor. There were some moments that seemed like an open rehearsal, but many more that had been well plotted to give old songs new life. “Lost Ones,” from 1998, arrived with two reinvented grooves, switching halfway through: first 1960s soul, then reggae. “I have to make these songs sustainable to perform,” Ms. Hill said. “You wouldn’t want me to just, like a robot, do the same thing every night.” (New York Times)
While Hill had not caved in to fans’ pleas for a reunion, she did pay homage to her Fugees family during the night.
At the Bowery, she made “Consumerism” her first encore, riding the shouts and squeals of the crowd as she returned to the stage. But that was the only new material, except for a rap that her son Joshua, appearing amid the encores, read from a smartphone. The rest of the songs were familiar: songs from “Miseducation,” Fugees material (in which Ms. Hill rapped verses from the other two Fugees members along with her own), songs from Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley and a full-length version of “I Only Have Eyes for You” leading into the Fugees song that sampled it, “Zealots” (with an unrehearsed guest appearance from the Fugees’ producer and bassist, Jerry Duplessis). Songs that had been hip-hop were recast as reggae, funk and rock; the Fugees’ “How Many Mics” was mashed up with “Can’t Stand Losing You” by the Police. Ms. Hill also sang “Happy Birthday” for an audience member. (New York Times)
October reports revealed Lauryn had a request to tour approved by a judge following her stint behind bars.
Lauryn has been confined to 3-months of home detention as part of her sentence for tax evasion — but here’s the thing … She wants to go on tour from Nov. 15th through Dec. 31st, so she asked the judge to give her a pass so she could tour — and we’ve learned the judge is down with it. As we reported … Lauryn was freed from jail last week and she wants to resume her career STAT. Lauryn — who has a new single out — can now start signing on at specific venues for the concerts. But prison officials will still keep tabs on her — she’ll have to run all the details — dates, cities, hotels — past her probation officer. On New Year’s Day … the party’s over, and Lauryn will have to return home to complete her home detention sentence. (TMZ)
***EDITOR’S NOTE: Following this story being published, Lauryn Hill’s publicist issued this statement to SOHH:***
“Contrary to media gossip (fact checking seems to be a dying art-form) there are no changes in Ms. Hill’s legal status. Ms. Hill has finished her sentence, has been fulfilling her agreement with the IRS, and is taking care of all outstanding matters in regards to this situation. She is not in jeopardy of any further charges. The press is reporting on paperwork that had recently been filed, and has now become public record.” (Statement)
