Will Columbia drop Lauryn?

[thepassion]

I don't know how much of this is true, but this is what I found on MTV Germany homepage

Und nun sieht sogar ihr eigenes Label schwarz. Kyambo 'hip Hop' Joshua, Senior Manager bei Columbia Manager:

'Ihr Plattendeal ist in Gefahr. Denn dieser Vertrag wurde für einen Superstar abgeschlossen und die Dinge haben sich in den letzten Jahren geändert. Auch wenn sie ein großartiges Album bringt, wird es wohl kaum mit einem Fugees Album mithalten können. Um ehrlich zu sein, auch ich weiß nicht wann es ein neues Lauryn Album geben wird!'

The Translation is:

Now even her own label seems to give up on her. Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua, Senior Manager of Columbia records says:

"Her record deal is in danger. This contract was made for a superstar, but things have changed over the last years. Even if she would bring a great album, it surely wouldn't be as big as a fugees album. To be honest, I don't know when there will be a new Lauryn Hill Album"

Here is the link

www.mtv.de/news/news.php?id=26483

[Moderator]

That's very critical. Who said when the fugees dropped 'the score' it'll be that big. Nobody knows until you drop the album. It doesn't sound like they'll drop her, but they are expecting too much. All i can say is that artists go there whole career in desperation for a huge album like 'the score' or 'miseducation'. Lauryn's has 2, so i don't know why the negativity

[risingson]

lauryn could release her own cd if she needed to.

[lov101]

This Article sounds like bullshit , first off the whole hip hop joshua senior manager thing, not a real tittle, it implies that a muti million dollar corporation like columbia would separate there musical acts in genres and then manage them that way, like only this hip hop and when has Lauryn ever just been a hip hop artist. Record companies look at what sells and Lauryn hasn't lost any talent, they just put out Lose Myself. Secondly for it to read" This contract was made for superstar" like she's not internationally known, it doesn't sound official, a responsible record company would never speak about it's artist this way. And when did columbia ever expect Lauryn to do fugee numbers, never.Who knew fugees were going to due fugee numbers or that the Miseducation was going to be as successful as it was. And this so called person being quoted speaks as if Lauryn has like a one album deal. She owes columbia six albums and everyone knows they have given lauryn alot of money to make the one she's working on are they really not going to turn a profit. It just seems like this is geared toward further destroying people perception of Lauryn.

[Moderator]

It doesn't sound that official. If it was official i'm sure it'll be headline news. 'COLUMBIA RECORDS DROPS ARTIST LAURYN HILL' None of that has really happened has it. I'm just looking forward to Lauryn's development as a musician, and if it means songs on soundtracks, then i'm happy. I've got no more comments.

[PhiloSelah]

lov101 said:

This Article sounds like bullshit , first off the whole hip hop joshua senior manager thing, not a real tittle, it implies that a muti million dollar corporation like columbia would separate there musical acts in genres and then manage them that way, like only this hip hop and when has Lauryn ever just been a hip hop artist. Record companies look at what sells and Lauryn hasn't lost any talent, they just put out Lose Myself. Secondly for it to read" This contract was made for superstar" like she's not internationally known, it doesn't sound official, a responsible record company would never speak about it's artist this way. And when did columbia ever expect Lauryn to do fugee numbers, never.Who knew fugees were going to due fugee numbers or that the Miseducation was going to be as successful as it was. And this so called person being quoted speaks as if Lauryn has like a one album deal. She owes columbia six albums and everyone knows they have given lauryn alot of money to make the one she's working on are they really not going to turn a profit. It just seems like this is geared toward further destroying people perception of Lauryn.

Record contracts get cancelled all the time.

Just ask Mariah Carey when Sony (WHICH OWNS COLUMBIA) bought out her record deal and sent her packing, and Mariah has sold WAY more than Lauryn. So for Sony and Columbia to be pondering dropping her is not insane. They dropped Mariah. They dropped Luther. Ask Whitney Houston when Arista sent her and Clive Davis a-packing. And those artists are FAR more accomplished than even Lauryn.

The fact is outside of a few pockets of extremely dedicated fans, Lauryn hasn't put out music since 2001. And has only toured...three times in the last few years. And has backed out of every agreement she made (the 2004 project, the Fugees project, etc).

FANS will stick by her.

Record labels will NOT. And if they feel they are wasting millions to keep an artist on board who is not making them any money, and has no intentions of releasing music, they'll drop her like a hot potato.

Lauryn herself said this in the Trace magazine article : "Record companies speak all about numbers. It's blasphemous....Art and commerce can be vastly opposed" etc, etc.

They want money and sales. They don't care how beautiful your spirit is, how beautiful your voice is, how profound your lyrics are, how incredible your talent is, or how divine your gift. If you aint making them money, they will drop your contract on a dime. And the reality is Lauryn hasn't made them money since 2002. And they are her record label, not her fans.

And I don't think this article is bullshit. I have a hard time believing the MTV sites would re-print foolishness like this widespread. The legal ramifications of such a lie/slander could be impressive. It's a reality. Welcome to the music industry. It's either cash, or you're thrown out on your a**.

However, did this article turn up before or after Lose Myself. Either way, Lose Myself might give them a little hope, but just because she sung on a soundtrack doesn't mean she bout to start making them money again. She sung Selah on Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood...and didn't record again until 2005 for public release. That's the way of the business.

What we can do is pray that Lauryn wakes up and realizes that this deep message she proclaims to have will be significantly inhibited if she doesn't have a record label.

For all we know though, who says she even wants a record deal anymore. For all you know, she may just want to sit at home and raise her kids and live a normal life, and drive the minivan to the grocery store lol. Her life is her life. And she has to be the deciding factor in whether or not she will use the gift she's been given. And only she is accountable for not using it.

[Moderator]

I don't really care. COLUMBIA never gave Lauryn artistic freedom from the start. She was forced to put 'Can't take my eyes off you' on the mised when she sdin't want it there, because it didn't fit in the context of the album. And honestly, it didn't. It's a great song, but you always wonder, why? It's got no connection with the rest of the album songs. But they forced her.