Lauryn Hill Replaced By LL Cool J After Vibefest Freakout?

By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 15, 2005 5:19PM

Back in April, we wondered if genius or madness would show up on June 24th when Lauryn Hill was to take the Taste of Chicago stage. In today's Sun-Times, Bill Zwecker answered the question with the news that Lauryn Hill has “reportedly” been replaced in the Taste of Chicago lineup by LL Cool J.

Hill, who has charitably been called “a disappointingly erratic live performer” by Sun-Times music columnist Jim Derogatis, was also the subject of perplexed news reports out of Atlanta this weekend. The Atlanta Journal Constitution said that during this week’s Vibe MusicFest concert, Hill, dressed in hippie rather than hip-hop garb, muddled through a four-song set of numbers off her solo debut before launching into some spoken word and then abruptly leaving the stage to stunned silence.

Other websites have noted that Hill pulled a James Brown by chastising off-key band members before grabbing a page out of Tom Cruise’s playbook by refusing to allow anyone to look at her while she was backstage. We’re not sure why Hill is off the Taste menu or whether Zwecker’s reports of LL’s involvement are true or not; the Taste webpage currently lists the June 24th opener as TBA. Perhaps Dave Chapelle can give Hill the name of the place in Africa where he decamped to before she becomes the next Syd Barrett.