Around the early 2000s Lauryn Hill stepped away from the limelight to focus on spirituality and family. That, to me, is a respectable decision. When the Fugees reunited briefly to perform at Dave Chappelle’s Block Party in 2004, someone in the crowd yelled out “Lauryn where you been?” Ms. Hill responded by pointing at one of her children and saying “that’s where I been.”

It also seemed like the pressure of being so famous was weighing on her. The Lauryn Hill I knew at 19 was never into the hype of being a celebrity. She was an artist, and it seems like the celebrity worship she was surrounded by pulled her away from being an artist. When she did show up for shows during this period, she was heavily criticized for her appearance, her performance choices and for sometimes arriving late. Fans who claimed to love Lauryn during the Miseducation era turned their back on her. This mass abandonment of one of our heroes allowed a white, male writer named Stefan Schumacher to think it was OK to pen an article titled “It’s Finally Time To Stop Caring About Lauryn Hill: I Used To Love Her. I Don’t Anymore.”

When you pay for a Lauryn Hill concert you are not paying for her to do what you want, you are paying for her to do what she wants. She is not an iPod nor is she a trained monkey. She doesn’t have to do her hits and she doesn’t have to do the songs the way you want to hear them. She doesn’t owe you that. The world does not revolve around you, and you ain’t gotta like it. Get over yourself. If you have a negative experience at her concert, go home, put on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and the next time she does come through your town, don’t go to her concert. Problem solved. Just because you had a negative experience at a Lauryn Hill show doesn’t mean her contribution to the world is invalid or deserves to be disrespected.

In Schumacher’s incredibly self-absorbed takedown of Ms. Hill he describes her as “an artist who hasn’t produced anything of relevance in the last two decades.” Because of this $88 is too much of a ticket price, even though he goes through pains to explain that he isn’t broke. I wonder how much Rolling Stones tickets are going for these days? What was their last “relevant” hit? I’ve never seen the Stones, but I hear the show ain’t what it used to be. How good could it be? Those guys are senior citizens. I went to see Mötley Crüe this summer. Fun show, I was on the list, but tickets were being sold for over $200.

Schumacher writes like a stalker. Actual quote from his piece, “What’s she doing with her time? How many kids does she have? Is she broke? Will she return to her former glory?” I’m like, dude. Fall back. Get out her business and her pocket. Don’t be a creep.