Fourteen years after sharing her poignant track "Rebel / I Find It Hard to Say," Ms. Lauryn Hill has updated the song with new instrumentation. The acoustic strains of the original version, which appeared on Hill's 2002 MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 live album, are replaced by watery synths and booming percussion, giving the song a modern feel.
Inspired by the fatal shooting of Amadou Diallo, the powerful track conveys the anguish felt in the wake of police brutality. Although Hill wrote the song more than a decade ago, the lyrics remain painfully relevant today. "You think our lives are cheap, and easy to be wasted," Lauryn sings. "As history repeats, so foul you can taste it"
Hill released the song as a TIDAL exclusive after performing at the TIDAL X: 1015 benefit concert at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday night. Proceeds from the star-studded event went to poverty alleviation charity The Robin Hood Foundation and various other "TIDAL-supported nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving education locally, nationally and abroad."
Stream the track below.
