Lauryn Hill Shoots Down Claims That She Stole Music for ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’

Lauryn Hill is firing back at claims made by musician Robert Glasper who alleged that the rapper stole music from his friends for her debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

In a lengthy piece penned for Medium, Ms. Hill shot down the allegations, saying that while musicians made suggestions to her during the recording process, no one wrote for her. "You may be able to make suggestions, but you can’t write FOR me. I am the architect of my creative expression. No decisions are made without me," Hill wrote.

"I hire master builders and masterful artisans and technicians who play beautifully, lend their technical expertise, and who translate the language that I provide into beautifully realized music," she continued.

During an Aug. 13 interview with Houston's 97.9, Glasper told the station, "You've already stolen all of my friends' music. Miseducation was made by great musicians and producers that I know personally. You got a big hand off of music you didn't even write."

The pianist also claimed that Hill frequently changed music arrangements, demanded she be addressed as "Ms. Hill" and threatened to cut her band's pay in half. While the former Fugees member admits to wanting people to call her Ms. Hill, she say's she has no recollection of cutting the band's pay.

"If fees had been negotiated and confirmed without my knowledge, I may have asked for them to be adjusted," she wrote. "But I would never just cut a musician’s pay arbitrarily unless I had a legitimate reason."

While Hill denies Glasper's claims, the rapper was sued by the musicians of the group New Ark who worked with Hill on her debut album. According to New Ark, they weren't properly credited for their writing and production work. The lawsuit was settled out of court in 2001 for a reported $5 million.

Up next for Hill, the artist is currently in the middle of her The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 20th Anniversary Tour. While a few dates on the trek have been canceled, the tour continues on Aug. 29 in Sugar Land, Texas and runs until Oct. 15 in Miami, Fla.

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