It Ain't For Everybody

It Ain't For Everybody

When asked about people who come into fame and fortune, then seemingly go nuts, Oprah Winfrey once said that the penchant to go crazy was always there for that person, the money accelerates and the fame magnifies the ascent to that insanity. There's something about having your name in lights that can bring the worst out of people. We'll probably never know what led Heath Ledger to his death, but you don't take more than two sleeping pills to get some sleep, trust me I know. I often wonder about the demons that eat at a person and causes them to want to take their own life?

It's crazy how Britney Spears is unraveling before our eyes. The paparazzi get nearly every moment of her life on film, it has become a daily news item, a soap opera. We're watching everyday, waiting for the train wreck to happen, its the American way! She was taken back to the hospital early this morning to get "help" they say. In other words, the crazy chick was committed (again)! There is a bright side for Britney though, she's white! So, she can get herself together, write a book, go on Oprah, then sell 15 million albums and go on tour all over the world.

On the other hand, we may lose out on true genius because Lauryn Hill just can't get right. I mean, ten years ago she released The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill sold 8 or 9 million records, won five grammys, was all over TV, had people saying reciprocity when they had no idea what it meant, had one baby, then another baby, and another baby, then she disappeared.

When she reappeared, we got a barely recognizable version of the Lauryn Hill we came to love, the Lauryn Hill she said that she no longer was. She said she felt repressed by the spotlight, that she wasn't able to the whole woman that she truly was, due to the fame and the constrictions society places on women. She was rocking a short afro, playing a guitar and the message in her music had changed. The songs she performed on MTV Unplugged were a bit preachy, not the songs that inspired women and made guys nod their heads.

We've gotten snippet of a song here and there, even a Fugees reunion on BET, but she's disappeared again. I suppose she's happier now, she's grown and found a comfortable space for herself. Now, can we get an album?

Damn I miss Lauryn Hill!