Lauryn Hill Shares 2nd Response To Daughter Selah Marley: I Did My Best, I Had To Become Mother AND Father

Lauryn Hill, Selah Marley

Lauryn Hill Shares 2nd Response To Daughter Selah Marley: I Did My Best, I Had To Become Mother AND Father

Lauryn Hill has penned a second, lengthy social media post, reflecting on her 21-year-old daughter Selah Marley’s comments about her upbringing. As previously reported, Selah Marley opened up about her challenging childhood, alleging that her mother disciplined her physically, referring to it as “some slavery sh*t”.

Selah Marley also spoke about her father’s (Rohan Marley) absence and how her parents interacted with one another during her childhood.

Selah Marley’s father issued a public apology and Lauryn Hill also responded to Selah’s video.

Late last week (August 15th), Lauryn Hill posted another follow-up message. She started off with a mini-movie list before sharing a lengthy message.

“Movie List

1. The Terminator
2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
3. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978 version)

For some context, Selah is talking about a particular period of her childhood. I did not always spank, I did not always spank in anger either.”

Lauryn Hill continues and admits she is, in fact, remorseful for her actions, stressing exactly how traumatizing that period in life was for her and her children:

“I am remorseful for dealing with any of my children in anger, and I’m sorry any of them had to go through that. What I am illustrating is that we were all thrown into a very dangerous situation, and I did my best to get us out of it with as little trauma as possible. The entire experience was traumatic for ALL of us, we were all traumatized, and I am telling you that traumatizing US was done on purpose with the intent to harm us. I am explaining the dynamic, not for Selah, but for people who watched her IG and made snap judgements without context. Selah and I speak often, and she knows that my life then and since then, has been one of repair and overloading her with the wisdom I learned in an effort to get her to avoid the same mistakes.”

Lauryn references her days as a young mother and said she was “being gaslighted publicly” for her radical beliefs at the time. She also mentions there were people on the inside conspiring against her, trying to control her, her family, and her money:

“Let’s recall that when I was a young mother I was being gaslighted PUBLICLY for standing up to the system. In addition to this, there was a coup d’ etat being staged FROM INSIDE, to try and label me crazy, for the purpose of controlling me, my children, and my ESTATE. This was nothing but greed and selfishness at work. I wasn’t 45, I was in my early 20’s, with young babies and NO ONE to trust. We are all talking about mental health NOW, back then I was called crazy, accused of being on crack, (I don’t even drink alcohol) and my friends were being enticed to betray me for money and promotion so an entire takeover could occur.”

Lauryn then states that when she would seek help, it wouldn’t be provided to her. She also touched on being blacklisted and bribed over the years:

“Wherever I sought help, the HELP, was either bribed or threatened NOT to help. It took me years of fighting through manipulation, blacklisting, spiritual attack, violence, and aggression towards my own physical person to get my family to a safer place. This went on for years. Notice, I don’t talk to the press and haven’t done an interview since the controversy began.”

She added,

“I do not think that physical discipline is the solve.”

She continues, explaining that she was physically disciplined as a child, and used the “old tool” she picked up from her parents on discipline before she found a “new tool”:

“I was physically disciplined by parents who interpreted the Bible literally and did what their parents did, thinking that it was the best thing for me. I had to find something new, but before I could find that new tool, I used the old tool, and found it ineffective for my children. If a child is violently running into the street, best believe that you have to restrain that child with enough physical force to prevent them from hurting themselves or someone else. Not crushing force, but enough to stop the danger from happening. With the wolves at my door, and the buzzards flying overhead, I had to become mother AND father.”

She continues:

“… To protect from the absolute rampant exploitation that was at my door, one has to be stoic and a brick house. I did my best working towards the balance for my children—to exhaustion. Sometimes I had to be the strength, and couldn’t let up because the attack was relentless and IT wouldn’t let up. Let’s be very clear, this was an attack with the absolute intent of BREAKING me AND BREAKING my children. If you didn’t get that from my first post, read deeper.”

She went on to point out the movies at the beginning of her post:

“Now this is where the movie list from earlier comes in handy. Lauryn goes in chronological order, explaining the significance of the three above mentioned titles, starting with Terminator 2, giving a brief summary of why and how it’s a metaphor for the dynamic between her and her children:

I woke up at some point last night and the TV was on, Terminator 2 was playing. The figure of Sarah Connor resonated HARD with me… This of course is metaphor, but extremely relevant regarding the kind of dynamic that was often necessary between myself and my children. My children were vulnerable for no other reason than who they were, who their parents were. Before they could learn to talk, heaps and heaps of unfair expectations were piled high on top their heads. All of this had to be dismantled so they could ‘just grow’. The machine, however, wasn’t letting me out that easily. For those who haven’t seen the first 2 Terminator films and are interested, watch them.”

She later states that she agrees physical discipline is a “throwback of slavery”:

“I also agree that physical discipline of the black variety is absolutely a throw back of slavery and it’s need to terroristically control black people. The problem is we are against the gun, and the gun! I am a mother of 6, each of my children has a different personality, different issues, I had to become a master psychologist, provider, protector and warrior in the space of a few years, while a new, young, mother… As my children mature and get more clarity, they will see ohhh kaaayyyy, my mother was not my enemy, she was embattled, and trying her best to protect us from something insidious and diabolical.”

Lauryn tells followers that she and Selah actually had a conversation prior to her posting her message:

“My BEAUTIFUL, STRONG AND COURAGEOUS daughter and I texted earlier today, and I shared the plot of the Terminator movies with her. She responded, ‘yeah, the world is a nasty place, I guess you protected me from it so much I didn’t realize how ugly it was.’ BOOM! To which I responded, the world isn’t all nasty, but there is nastiness in it. There is also beauty, and love, and THAT’S what we keep fighting for and fighting to restore. These are HARD lessons, and not easy for anyone. This dialogue is long overdue in our community, in particular, as we develop the language to heal the INTENTIONAL wounds inflicted upon us and sustained by subtle, and not-so-subtle but in.”

She continues:

“Both Selah and I have sought out different forms of therapy, the challenge is always in finding someone who can actually understand and properly address such a unique and complex set of circumstances. I found some great professionals later in life. For Selah, we are rigorously looking, and she’s had sessions with someone I work with and hopefully will continue to. As for parenting alone, that’s another discussion. I could throw tons of blame, but instead I’m trying to explain, not EXCUSE, but explain the dynamics that produced such happenings. It is often not until crisis strikes that people are shown themselves, and you, shown them. The point is there was serious trauma that was triggered and exposed through crisis.”

She also states:

“Selah was talking about a prolonged period of crisis and how she was deeply affected. My apologies go to my children for not protecting myself better, SO THAT I COULD protect them better. I have since learned volumes on why and how I will never allow the world to scapegoat me again.”

She later makes it clear she wants to be known for her music:

“I chose to be an artist, and I made work that catapulted me to stardom, I didn’t choose to be a star, nor did I choose to be a scape goat or a door mat or a kicking post for people who think that’s somehow an artist’s job. No place in my contract did I agree to any of that, but it was probably in there with invisible ink!”

She ends with:

“When you become famous so young, you have to LEARN how to defend yourself. You have no idea you’re being fattened for the slaughter, some never see it until it is too late. Once I learned what the business of art and commerce had the potential to be, I withdrew and sought out a different path. That path was carved out with my blood, my sweat and my tears, for the purpose of creating a space for freedom that my children would be able to inherit. They’re growing into that truth and learning just how truly rare that space is.
Blessed Love,
MLH”

What are your thoughts on Lauryn Hill’s latest remarks? Let us know in the comments below!

By: @a.girlwhowrites