June 25, 2007

Lauryn Hill Suits Up For Second LP After Breaking The Ice With Penguin Song

By Shaheem Reid (MTV.com)

Given that the most positive thing Lauryn Hill's bandmates are saying about another potential Fugees reunion is "just keep praying," the chances seem slim that we'll see the trio of Wyclef Jean, Pras and Hill doing an album together again. With the 10-year anniversary of her solo debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, close to a year away, fans have questioned whether we would see her put out another album. But Sony Music, the label she is signed to, is still saying yes.

Hill has acquired new management, and earlier this month, she even put out a new song called "Lose Myself" that was inspired in part by a dude named Big Z. No, not some new rapper -- Z is a penguin in the film Surf's Up. And the song isn't the first single from her album; it's a featured track on the soundtrack to the film.

But, as her reps optimistically pointed out to MTV News, Hill has recently gone back into the studio with the goal of making a new LP. In all seriousness, they say. She theoretically has a library of unreleased material in the vault, since she has consistently recorded over the past decade (we just haven't heard anything yet). But the hip-hop star's camp says Hill has cooked up a batch of fresh new material and there will probably be some collaborations once the project is finally released.

Hill has also signed up for several dates, mostly at festivals, around the globe this summer. Stops in Dubai, Turkey and the Netherlands are all on her list, and in the U.S., she has four dates scheduled, including a free concert August 6 in Brooklyn, New York, as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series.

There's still no release date scheduled for the next Lauryn Hill project.