Music

Lauryn Hill will spend the summer in jail

by Tyler Munro

Remember all the stuff about Lauryn Hill getting a bunch of money from Sony to avoid jail time for tax evasion so long as she started recording and releasing music again? And remember how she did just that this weekend with her new song, “Neurotic Society”?

Turns out it didn’t work. Though she’s recently paid off around $970,000 in back taxes, Hill’s still apparently going to be headed to the clink in July, where she’ll serve three months behind bars. After that, she’ll have three months of house arrest and 9-more of probation.

According to Rolling Stone, she owed taxes on more than $1.8 million worth of earnings. She was told to pay $554,000 before her sentence hearing yesterday, which is what her new record deal factored into, but apparently only paid $50,000.

The Associated Press says that Hill, who’ll also owe a $60,000 fine, had this to say to U.S. Magistrate Madeline Cox Arleo before her sentencing.

“I am a child of former slaves who had a system imposed on them,” Hill said referring to the music industry. “I had an economic system imposed on me.”

What’s curious of course are reports that she made millions in 2008 and 2009, years where she was less than active and, based on accounts from fans, less than respectful. As is her reputation Hill’s made a living recently by exploiting her glory days and showing up hours late to shows (which she then fumbles her way through). She says she didn’t pay taxes because she needed the money to raise her six kids. We’re in no place to discount that. But she seemed to make quite a lot for a little, at least by our standards.

Her representation is still pushing for both sentences—prison and house arrest—to be changed into parole.