Just Keep Living (Ep 381)

two hours, two and a half. But Lauren Hill was born and raised in Essex County, North New Jersey, well not Newark. I'm South Orange, New Jersey, which is, you know, a stone's throat from the new Ark where I live. And I grew up like, you know, she's only like a year older than me, maybe two, but I grew up knowing a lot of people who knew her. And my best friend Linda actually went to the same high

school as Lauren, I think, at the same time. And like she's got this great song like called like every Ghetto, every city of New Jerusalem, right where she says, drill teams on Month Street. I'm like, I know mine. Remember when Halfer and Chancellor had beef. I'm like, I know, Chancellor author, I mean, Lauren is very Jersey Jersey Jersey. So I love me some Laurn Hill. And on top of that, she's just super talented, super talented. Was singing down Mike was on wrapping down like she you know.

So even though she was you know, she was at the Prudential Center, it was packed because for one, she was in her hometown. So it was a mashup between twenty five years of miseducation of Lauren Hill and the Fujis. So the first half was Lauren. She sang almost all the songs, which I'm surprised. I don't think she sang New Jerusalem, which is like the Jersey song, which I'm shocked. And the second half was the Fujies and like I'm a foodie, stand down, Why how many mics do you

rip on the daily? Say me say Menny money, say me sayn n Mini. Okay, what you know about that? It was about had a good time past being the annoyed. When I say annoyed, we was all like child You just see everybody's face was like, I guess she's gonna come whenever. But when she finally got on she you

know she from what I understand. I don't know if it's like for fact for sure, but I remember reading somewhere you know, Lauren had owed all these back taxes, and in an effort to remedy owing back taxes, something about her catalog, so she can't perform it like verbatim. You know, I don't know if she sold it or whatever, So I'm assuming she probably because you can own the copyright. So for example of my book, why do you see

behind me? Al hey mayor right? So for example, from my book, I own the copyright to the words, but I don't own the publishing right. Basically I can't republish it wherever I want. So I think maybe that's kind of the same. Like Lauren might own the copyrights to her words because she wrote them, but doesn't own the musicality behind it. I'm assuming so, like I said, I'm

big assuming. I just remember reading when like reading that you know that she this is as a result of owning back taxes and having to use her catalog in some sort of way to help run you that anyway, it was later supporting and that you know she did like she did her songs, but it was like a

different mashup. But when they did the Fuji songs, they did it like the album and I was like, hay, so that's just like a little you know, like that's a lot of money's will have been you know that, like your finances will follow you no matter how big, no matter how small. That you know, getting your financial life together is a critical component of life, whether you're famous, whether you're a teacher, whatever that looks like. But all in all, you know, I had a really good time.

And something else that I really took away from watching Lauren on stage, especially when White Cleff come out. You know, they all grew up in Jersey together, although I think why Cliff and Prize might have grow up in Brooklyn, but you know, I know that they used to play at it like a Prize and White Cleff used to play at a church in I think Irvington, New Jersey together. So one of the things that really struck me like watching Lauren perform and on stage with Proz on stage

with Why Cleft. Like so many groups, they had, you know, a falling out for whatever reason. We know what reason child the drama, but we're not it's not a gossip site, but if you don't know, google it. So they fell out and to see them all together twenty five, twenty

six years later. She even said, so many people thought this could never happen, including some people on the stage, And here we are and one of my social media friends, Hey, friend Demetria, she's got an awesome podcast called Ratchet and Respectable. Demetria would always say, I think it was her grandmother, either her grandmother or grandfather, maybe her mom or dad.

But there is a piece of advice that that one of the elders in her life gave to her, and this was a testament, and I'm gonna share that advice with you. She said, Like, you know, sometimes these big, gargantuan things are happening and it seems like they'll never be a remedy. And this elder would always tell her just keep living. And when you're young, you're like, what you talking about, girl, Like I'm sixteen and I got pregnant, Oh my god. Yeah. And then when you're thirty something

years old, it's not the big of a deal. You got a kid, Just keep living, you know. It's like, I'm not talking to my sister, you know, she, you know, never told me that she saw my boyfriend cheating on me, and I'm so mad at her, you know, it's like so fresh, and I didn't speak her in ten years. And then you find out your sister is sick and you go to see her and you reconcile. Just keep living, you know, just like your person, you know, and you're like,

I don't think I'm gonna be able to make it. It's just too much, and you know, and then one day you have your first laugh, like genuine laugh, and you realize that there is still joy left in this world and two things can be true, and you realize that, like, I think I want to experience some of this joy because I do believe one day you do see your loved ones again. Just keep living. And so last night that was the big takeaway. I mean, I just had

an amazing time. Like like like the mis Education Lauren Hill is basically a perfect album. It is a perfect album. Every song ain't no skips, ain't no skips. And another lesson takeaway because I saw a lot of people online saying like, oh, that mis Education Lauryn Hill. That was a fluke that album because she never did nothing else

after that. Here's the thing that I feel sad that not enough people understand about life that sometimes you create something or you do something and it goes really really well, but the cost of that thing was time, family, energy, sanity, and you determine, although I can have more money and more claim, I've decided that cause Lauren has four babies, four kids, I've decided that this is what's more important.

And there will be people who will say you gave up and instead you gave you know, your living, and so that's what like, you know, especially Western culture will teach you that to quote unquote when at life is to win externally. And I challenge people to realize that. It sounds like to me that Lauren decided to win internally. You know, I'm not saying how life is perfect obviously, but you know, like one of the beautiful components of the of the show was that she sang different songs.

She had like home videos and pictures. When she's sang Zion, I almost wept. Now the joy of my world is in Zion. It was like one spotlight her with a guitar and all you see all these beautiful baby photos of Zion and coming up. There's this one line where she said oh, she said like she said, like, oh, it was basically they told her to abort Zion and they said, she's like, how beautiful more then two way a zign. So no, I've never been in love like

this before. She was like, it's basically someone it's like, Lauren baby, use my head, but I forget, like, oh, oh, it's a good part. I wish I could remember the damn lyric, but basically it's a lyric where let me see if I can look it up, because I think it's just that important. Hold on, Lauren, I know some of you guys are dying right now because you know right now you first war. It's hilarious because y'all know that, like I'm the worst with my memory, and Mandy probably

like girl laurin Zion lyrics. There you go, because you need to hear it. Okay, let me see me say it. Anthimina manchild will be born? Will this crazy circumstance. I knew his life deserved a chance, but everybody told me to be smart. Can you imagine to be smart when it came to life? Look at your career. They said, Lauren baby, use your head, but instead I chose to use my heart. I just and now she's got this

amazing grown sun. You know that I think he performed last night because the name that was that she said, this is my baby, like I'm one of her kids performed like a song last night, a reggae song last night, And I wasn't sure if it was Ziona, it was one of her other kids. But can you imagine, look at your career. I'm all for, you know, choice, So like you know, I believe that women should have a choice to live their own life, to choose what they

want with their body. But to make a choice, you know, like from a place of like do I have this baby that I actually want? Or do I advance in my career? And for people to try to enforce that kind of choice on you, it's wild to me, you know what I mean, Like, like I said, I believe that women should be able to make whatever choices they want for their own body, you know. And you know, and certainly you know the fact that women be like I do want to have a baby, but what will

it do for my career? That should not be a choice that a woman has to make. It's one thing to say, like I don't want to have kids, okay, but not I do want I have kids, but dag

on this career like that is crazy to me. And I just thought to myself, as I was like watching Lauren and listening to Laurena and for a long time, how she kind of disappeared from public life, and how it was so clear by the pictures that were so full of love and family and connectedness that I could tell it was such a new Jersey house and it

wasn't some old, big, old fancy mansion. I could tell that she had spent a lot of time loving and connecting, familying, and I love that for her, you know, I did. And you know, any people can say like, oh she fell offt she whatever, She was just as talented for as ever, her voice was amazing. She, like Laurda, is one of the few artists out there that could wrap you down right, sing you down, act you down. Face.

Card never declined she had all the things, and she said, all the things are inside my home and that's where I'm gonna be. I love that for hu, you know, And so I don't know, it was like such a like. Although I enjoyed the concert, there was just a lot of like lessons taken away lessons about money, because like, if you're not about your business, your business will be about you. And that like not being able to fully express your art because of the business, you know, choices

that were made. You know. That's why even if you hire somebody for your taxes and finances, and it is so important that you're on it, you're asking questions like, for example, I'll give you an example. I just got a tax bill from the street of New Jersey that freaked me the hell out. It was for fifty I've got it right here because y' don't know I'd be open fifty six thousand, two hundred and eighty six dollars and seventy nine cents. I said, say, well, no, why

would I own New Jersey that much? You know what they said? They said that I underpaid taxes by thirty six thousand dollars to thirty six thousand, three hundred dollars. And then they said I did not follow up. This is why I knew. I was like, something's wrong. You don't want to know what the late filing penalty. This is why I tell y'all frial taxes, like all your business owners file even if you don't have the money,

file your taxes. The late filing penalty was fourteen thousand, two hundred eighty three dollars, fifteen thousand dollars in damn near in late filing penalty, and then interest three thousand, one hundred eighty dollars, and then installment interest, which I don't even know what the hell that is two thousand and twenty two thousand, five hundred and thirty two dollars. So what would have been taxes old at thirty six thousand is fifty six thousand additional twenty thousand dollars. But

I said, not me. You want to know why because I don't play that. I pay my taxes quarterly. So I was like, so confused. So I was like, let me send this some my account. And then as I was looking, it said you have been and you have been charged installment interest because you did not make the following requirement payments. And I looked and I was like, I do pay quarterly. I'm looking like I paid. Oh, then I remember this is just like a great tax lesson.

So this paper from the state of New Jersey actually says Tiffany E. Liche and Jerrell Smith my late husband, and he is no longer here, and so when I used to file tax I did our taxes, you know, through our accountant like I would file. I'm not really sure why they do it this way, but I think it's because I honestly, I don't know why. But when you're filing taxes as a married couple, there is one person's social Security that you file taxes under and then

it counts for both of y'all. So when Jerell was here, I used to file taxes under his social Security because we were married, and for whatever reason, that was the social Security that they assigned to both of us, you know, social Security number. And so this is the state of New Jersey once again. Because the only reason why I know is because they forgot they did this last time. After he passed away this and my accountant figured out

the issue. They are still looking for me paying under Jurell's social but I now pay under my social Security number because he's not here. And so because I was like, I absolutely paid these, So I'm going to give it to her, she's gonna hit up di Ars and say again you need to merge Tiffany's tax account with this one, because this is the new social Security numbers that she's gonna be filing under. So they're just looking at it

from the two years ago when he was here. So anyway, I just say all that to say, imagine, look what happens when one you don't file how much money a fifteen thousand dollars penalty and then interest on top of another five thousand dollars worth of interest, and so like hiding and burying your head in the sand and not doing your taxes and not being on top of your

finances is so expensive. Like I said, thankfully, for me, this is a mistake because I know because I've been here before, this like the second time they've done this, and it's annoying. But I know I don't own the by No. Fifty six thousand dollars because your girl be on top of her finance. I wasn't always, but that

is critically important. So that was a lesson, like being on top of your finance is critically important because it's affecting her ability to be her full creative self on stage because like I said, I read this article that was like she wasn't able to perform her music the way it initially is intended because of this tax issue. That she's had and having to pay it back and this is part of that. So that's one. Two, just

keep living. That was a huge lesson and that even through trauma, drama, over like experiences that seem above and beyond what we're capable of navigating and managing. That like time smooth so many things, doesn't always heal, but time can wear a way and wear down so many things. Just keep living. And three, you know, like choosing life,

like life is not just what's displayed externally. That the most important parts of life on what happens when nobody else is around, Like I'm talking about the world at large. You know, like Lauren did decided to turn inward, have children, leaning to her family. It seems like she just I mean, I know pictures don't tell everything, but you know, just even from hearing her talk through like the choices that she'd made and the family that she decided to have

and and so like she's chosen that. And you know, y'all know, after Gerll passed away, I've really been focused on what does it look like to have enough? And I mean I travel more this year than I have I don't know since Like I've been to Egypt, Kenya, London, France, Paris, France. I'm off the coast. I just got back from Atlanta, DC, Maryland, Detroit. No, that wasn't this year, Detroit. But I can't even keep track of all the places that I've traveled to this year,

and you've seen like none of it on online. I have just been internally enjoying my life, internally enjoying my friend. And there's nothing wrong we're posting online, you know, if I so choose, But I purposefully have been challenging myself, like, can I lean into the joy without having to share with everyone? Like it is it just as joyful? And it is. And if I decide to share, great, If not, you know, but I just love that and I love

that and I want that for you too. So those are the three lessons I took away from the Lauren Hill Show. And so if you're gonna go see her, chall go ahead and be an hour late because she ain't gonna be there on time, but it's gonna be a showdown. Hopefully that was helpful, maydy something. Hopefully we'll

be back on the next show with me. Yeah, and I'll see you hopefully for ba Qa, where we answer your business questions, your finance questions, your money questions, and yeah, until until Friday, by y'all,