Lauryn Hill Invites Essex County Students On Stage At Newark Concert

NEWARK, NJ — It’s pretty clear that despite more than two decades of accolades and awards, Lauryn Hill hasn’t forgotten her Essex County roots.

On Tuesday, the Grammy Award-winning musician, producer and fashion icon returned to her old Essex County stomping grounds for a concert at the Prudential Center in Newark, sharing the spotlight with the Columbia High School marching band and 22 young entrepreneurs from East Orange.

Hill – who was born in East Orange and grew up in South Orange – saw some support from her former bandmates, the Fugees, as she performed her pioneering solo album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” on the 25th anniversary of its release.

Prior to Tuesday’s concert, the iconic musician said the album still holds a special place in her heart.

“The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is and was a love song to my parents, my family, my people, my musical and cultural forebears, my teachers, my loves, my Creator,” Hill said.

“I wrote love songs and protest songs— (still love songs) about the subjects and interests that inspired and moved me,” she continued. “I was confident that what inspired me would resonate with an audience that had been led to believe that songs of that kind could only live in the past.”

• See Related: 'Fugees' Pride In East Orange On 25th Anniversary Of Iconic Album

Hill shared the stage with students from Maplewood and South Orange, who got the chance to perform with her for the first song of the show: a specially arranged rendition of “Everything Is Everything.”

The marching band students at Columbia High School – clad in full regalia – played their part with panache, despite getting their first chance to practice their part in the song the previous day.

“We have always known that Lauryn Hill has never forgotten where she came from, but we never could have expected her to provide such a wonderful opportunity for our students to be a part of her monumental tour,” Superintendent Ronald Taylor said.

Meanwhile, 12 students from the high school’s vocal music and music tech classes were invited to attend a workshop on careers in live concert production from Hill’s concert staff. Students were also scheduled to have a meet and greet with one of Hill’s backup singers, Lenesha Randolph – a Columbia High School alumnus.

Last Friday, a film crew came to Columbia High School to shoot video vignettes of Hill’s alma mater high school. The footage was used as background video for Tuesday’s concert.

“On behalf of the school district, I thank Lauryn Hill for her generosity toward our students and we wish her all the best as she continues on her concert tour,” Taylor added.

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Hill also reached out to officials in East Orange, who were happy to give a group of 22 budding entrepreneurs from the city’s popular summer work program a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Together, the students – who live in East Orange and Newark – got the chance to set up a “pop-up shop” in the concourse area of the Prudential Center and show off their micro-businesses, which featured items as clothing, customized sneakers, natural beauty products, art and accessories.

Hill attended a close-out event for the city’s work program earlier this summer to watch her son Joshua Marley perform. Read More: East Orange Youth Work Program Ends With Salute To Sheila Oliver

“It is such an incredible honor to have one of East Orange’s own — the amazingly gifted and prolific Ms. Lauryn Hill — offer our students this remarkable chance to shine,” East Orange Mayor Ted Green said.

“An advocate for self-love, peace and social consciousness, Ms. Hill has always been a huge supporter of our city’s progress which is inextricably linked to the success of our youth,” Green added.

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