Lauryn Hill says her tardiness issue is a production problem. Some fans disagree

Don't blame me, it's the production.

Maplewood native Lauryn Hill, who has a history of late arrivals, took the stage at 2:30 a.m. July 5 for her Essence Festival headlining set at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The stadium was mostly empty by the time her set ended at 3:30 a.m., according to fan postings.

Festival organizers said on social media that Hill wasn't to blame for the delay.

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“She arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can,” stated the festival on July 7. “The delay? Not hers. We will take that. The moment? One for the books. The legacy? Still unmatched.”

Hill responded on the afternoon of July 8 by thanking the Essence Festival for taking responsibility, then explaining that her tardiness problem has really been a production problem all along.

“There seems to be a misconception out there that I am somewhere on the Riviera with my feet up, drink in hand, showing up to concerts whenever because I’m too important to care,” Hill said. “That’s nonsense … and anyone who’s been a part of these productions knows that IN FACT the opposite is true.”

“This is not the first time production delays have delayed my performances. This IS the first time a promoter has acknowledged the slip up on their end (thank you Essence!) and this will be the last time I'll allow production challenges to look like it's my fault alone, when they aren't.”

Lauryn Hill attends the 2025 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on May 5.

Some fans are supportive of Hill. Others not so.

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“I want to love this but I’ve been to like 3 shows in the last couple years and stayed/waited/danced my butt off when you got there,” commented a fan on Hill's Instagram. “But they all started uber late. I guess alllll these production peeps in different states need to get it together.”

“I love you Ms. Lauryn, but why can other [artists] who have dancers, [singers], more stage crew members start on time while you have consistently late,” commented another. “If you would respect people's time, even more people would come to your shows. We all have family and professional obligations, but we still show up on time.”

“Lauryn, we all love you but the perception of you is of your own doing,” commented another. “You have a history of being late. And not just slightly late but exceptionally. Sometimes, you don’t show at all. Regardless of the passion and commitment to your craft, it’s disrespectful and displays a lack of consideration to us fans who have stayed loyal to you for all these years.”

Hill's 2014 concert at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank was canceled two hours before showtime.

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A 25th anniversary U.S. tour of Hill's classic “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” which included a Fugees reunion, was postponed in 2023 and then canceled due to poor domestic ticket sales in 2024 after a handful of shows, including a October 2023 concert at the Prudential Center in Newark.

Hill took the stage at an agreeable 9:30 p.m. with the Fugees that night, which featured production elements including a live band, a 10-piece string section, backing singers, a horn section, a high school marching band and a giant video screen.

Hill’s stance about her tardiness issue has been defiant to this point.

“My awareness like Keanu in 'The Matrix,' I’m saving souls and y’all complaining about my lateness,” rhymed Hill on the 2021 Nas track “Nobody.”

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lauryn Hill says tardiness is production issue. Some fans disagree