How Lauryn Hill defended her late starts at L.A. show

Lauryn Hill is so over those tardiness complaints: ‘Y’all lucky I make it,’ she tells L.A.

Lauryn Hill clad in a red latex coat with a hood and large sunglasses, sings and points up with right hand.

Nov. 6, 2023 Updated 11:33 AM PT

Lauryn Hill knows she has built a reputation for being tardy to her own shows — and she isn’t sorry.

Over the weekend, the singer defended her notorious performance punctuality (or lack thereof) during her two-day L.A. takeover, starting at Crypto.com Arena in downtown. The singer celebrated the 25th anniversary of her album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” with Fugees bandmates Wyclef Jean and Pras.

For the record:

11:46 a.m. Nov. 6, 2023A previous version of this story said Lauryn Hill defended her tardiness while performing at the Kia Forum in Inglewood. That show was Sunday night; she delivered her speech at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.

“You’re saying, ‘She’s late, she’s late a lot,’” Hill said during Saturday’s performance, according to a video shared by Vibe Magazine writer Mya Abraham. “Y’all lucky I make it on this ... stage every night.” The Fugees also played Sunday night at Inglewood’s Kia Forum.

Hill, who has repeatedly delayed the start of her shows by at least an hour, was joined by her four children and mother, Valerie, when she told Saturday’s crowd that she performs “because I stand here in the name of God and I do it.”

She continued: “God is the one who allows me to do it, who surrounded me with family and community when there was no support.”

During her speech Saturday night, Hill also praised her mother, “my rock, my foundation, my stability.” The singer, 48, said her mother was among the “strong women” who helped raise her children while Hill pursued music.

Hill, the frontwoman of the Fugees, found solo success with 1998’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” The 16-track album featured hits including “Ex-Factor,” “Doo Wop (That Thing)” and her own take on the Four Seasons’ “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.” During Saturday’s speech, the teary-eyed Grammy winner told fans that they owe their gratitude to her mother.

During her six-minute speech, Hill claimed she received no industry support after the commercial success of “Miseducation,” despite a 2003 Rolling Stone report that she was in demand and working on a new album. She continued: “So I went around the world and I played the same album over, and over ... and over again. Because we’re the survivors. Not just the survivors, we’re the thrivers.”

Hill then performed a smooth and soulful “Happy Birthday” for her mother, who sang along.

Hill brought her “Miseducation” celebration to Los Angeles just days after she postponed a show in Fort Worth to rest her voice.

“I’ve been doing my best to overcome a serious case of vocal strain/injury over the past week or so,” the 48-year-old tweeted on Oct. 30. “I fought through the last couple shows, pushing my voice, and masking the injury with medication. This isn’t safe or sustainable.”

A new date for that show has not been announced.

The eight-time Grammy winner launched the tour celebrating her landmark 1998 album in Minneapolis in early September. She will next bring her show to Oakland on Tuesday, then Seattle on Thursday.

In August, Hill reflected on her solo album’s success. The singer said in an Instagram post that “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” was part of “the soundtrack of 90’s music that would help encourage and guide a generation.”

Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.