Lauryn Hill Pays Tribute Nina Simone Again & She SPITS This Time! (Audio)

Earlier this week, Ms. Lauryn Hill’s cover of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” (also a cover), drew worlds of attention and acclaim. From the Nina Revisited: A Tribute To Nina Simone soundtrack companion to upcoming Netflix documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone?, there are two other L-Boogie homages to Nina on the LP.

One is “Ain’t Got No…I’ve Got A Life.” More upbeat in presentation, this master 1968 cut still captures the pained songs that Nina favored throughout her evolution. Those original vocals are captured in the moment. Only this time, Lauryn—whose singing can draw strong comparisons to that of Simone’s puts down the harmonies and sweet melodies to rap like it’s 1-9-9-4. Urgent, breathless, and impassioned, Ms. Lauryn Hill gives Heads what we’ve been so longing to hear: bars. For a tribute project, Hill’s lyrics are in the now, dealing with media hype, women’s rights, police brutality, the value of Black lives, children’s rights, and more. Inside, she references Rakim and John Coltrane. “Without apology” is how she ends the verse, and that’s exactly how this sounds. One take, leaving the mic bruised.

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Common, Mary J. Blige, and Jazmine Sullivan are some of the other artists touching some of Nina Simone’s beloved catalog:

1. Lisa Simone: Nobody’s Fault but Mine (Intro)
2. Ms. Lauryn Hill: Feeling Good
3. Ms. Lauryn Hill: I’ve Got Life
4. Ms. Lauryn Hill: Ne Me Quitte Pas
5. Jazmine Sullivan: Baltimore
6. Grace: Love Me or Leave Me
7. Usher: My Baby Just Cares For Me
8. Mary J. Blige: Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
9. Gregory Porter: Sinnerman
10. Common & Lalah Hathaway: YG&B
11. Alice Smith: I Put a Spell On You
12. Lisa Simone: I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl
13. Ms. Lauryn Hill: Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair
14. Ms. Lauryn Hill: Wild Is the Wind
15. Ms. Lauryn Hill: African Mailman
16. Nina Simone: I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free

Is this a welcome sign of things to come? The song ends with Lauryn saying, “Okay, okay…” Do you think there may be another verse come album time?

Related: Lauryn Hill Delivers a Powerful Rendition of Nina Simone’s Feeling Good (Audio)