After attending Lauryn Hill’s recent show in Brooklyn, Melanie Fiona was so moved that she expressed her extreme gratitude in an open letter penned to The Fugee’s Queen piece. Take a look below.

How’s that for a slick twist of irony, “stuck in the 90s”-era hip hop fans?

Despite signing a new deal with Sony, dropping a song that sounds like Rick Ross had his way with a schizophrenic Red Fraggle after he slipped a molly, mickey and a roofie in her champagne, and paying nearly $1,000,000 in back taxes, the once-prolific Lauryn Hill is headed to the bing on July 8th (and has an added three months of house arrest thrown in the mix for good measure) for failing to do what every American who earns a paycheck has to do every single year (and instead claiming in some non-sensical logic that quasi-reeked of “holier-than-thou” arrogance) that she didn’t have to because of the one-armed man or something, the icing on the cake of this rather depressing fall from grace for one of urban music’s most beloved figures.

Then, seemingly to twist the knife further into the backs of every Rawkus Records-loving, J Dilla faithful who fell in love with hip hop’s neo-renaissance period during the late nineties/early Aughts, the guy who once boldly proclaimed on radio that he was the reincarnation of 2Pac, did a terrible remake of Grease and had a music video with Pauly Shore got sprung from the pokey this morning…

Despite making a last-minute payment of over $900,000, Lauryn Hill was sentenced to three months in prison for failing to pay $1.8 million in back taxes from 2005-2007. According to WP, she’s to report to prison (no word on which one just yet) on July 8th and will have an additional three months of home confinement tacked on after she gets out.

PREVIOUS: Lauryn Hill – Neurotic Society (Compulsory Mix)

Due to her ongoing legal issues, Ms. Hill was “forced” to sign a new recording deal with Sony. And with that new deal, comes new music (which is available on iTunes). Take a listen and see what she had to say on Tumblr below.

Here is a link to a piece that I was ‘required’ to release immediately, by virtue of the impending legal deadline. I love being able to reach people directly, but in an ideal scenario, I would not have to rush the release of new music… but the message is still there. In light of Wednesday’s tragic loss (of former label mate Chris Kelly), I am even more pressed to YELL this to a multitude that may not understand the cost of allowing today’s unhealthy paradigms to remain unchecked!

PREVIOUS: Lauryn Hill Performs “Black Rage” In Texas (Video)

With today’s guest of MTV’s RapFix Live being Wyclef “Mid-Life Crisis” Jean himself, they pull out this old interview from their vaults of our once-beloved Tranzlator Crew speaking on their just-released, soon-to-be-a-classic second album. It was all good just just a week ago…

PREVIOUS: Wyclef Jean – I Wish It Was Music f. T.I. & Trae Tha Truth

Nas

Nas and Lauryn’s Life Is Good x Black Rage Tour hit the Windy City’s Congress Theater last night, and thanks to FSD you can see pieces of the action.

Ms. Hill and Nas (with special guest Jhené Aiko) kicked off their Life Is Good/Black Rage Tour in Dallas last night, and during her set Lauryn debuted the inspiration for her tour’s name. Props to Rap-Up for the footage.

Inspired by Nas’ new album and the title of Lauryn’s upcoming single (due out this Fall), the If I Ruled the World duo are hitting the road for the Life Is Good/Black Rage Tour. Nas will kick the tour of solo in Maryland on October 6th. Hit the jump for the complete list of cities/dates. Shouts to Rap-Up on the heads up.

Oct. 6 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion (NAS ONLY)
Oct. 20 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona State Fairgrounds (NAS ONLY)
Oct. 26 – Asheville, NC – MOOG Festival (NAS ONLY)
Oct. 27 – Nashville, TN – Riverfront Park (NAS ONLY)
Oct. 28 – New Orleans, LA – Voodoo Festival (NAS ONLY)
Oct. 29 – Dallas, TX – Palladium Ballroom
Oct. 31 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center
Nov. 2 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
Nov. 3 – Norfolk, VA – NorVa Theatre (NAS ONLY)
Nov. 4 – Washington, DC – DAR Constitution Hall
Nov. 7 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
Nov. 9 – Rochester, NY – Main Street Armory(NAS ONLY)
Nov. 11 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
Nov. 14 – Chicago, IL – Congress Theatre
Nov. 16 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
Nov. 17 – Magna, UT – Salt Air
Nov. 19 – Oakland, CA – Fox Oakland Theater
Dec. 31 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall (NAS ONLY)

PREVIOUS: Nas & Lauryn Hill Perform at Rock the Bells 2012

Forgive Them Father

Ms. Hill graces the stage for Indigo O2 in London last night as she performed select fan favorites from her well respected catalog. Props to AmarudonTV.

While at the Warner Theater last night, the ever-reclusive Ms. Hill performed a new song called “Fearless Vampire Killer.” Props to DX.

Two-thirds of the Fugees, Lauryn Hill and Pras reunite at the Rock the Bells Festival on Governors Island in New York.

PREVIOUS: Lauryn Hill, Nas & Cypress Hill: Classic Albums By Classic Artists (Video)

Reebok Classics & Rock The Bells are doing a film series in which the festival’s headliners speak on their genre-defining albums. Lauryn speaks on her instant vintage debut solo outing up top…

“I make the music that I want to hear and when you find that other people want to hear that too… how could you not be excited about that,” Ms. Hill notes. She goes on to say “I made a piece of music from a sincere place and I think that sincerity has no choice but to resonate with people.”

Check out words from Nas and Cypress Hill down bottom.