During this month’s Tidal X: 1020 charity concert, Lauryn Hill debuted a new rendition of her 2002 track “Rebel/I Find It Hard to Say.” And it was clear the updated version was more stirring, more powerful, and much more relevant in today’s social climate.
Last week, Hill stopped by the Charlie Rose studio for another live performance of the emotionally charged track. She took the stage with a full band and a strong group of backup singers, which really elevated the song’s poignant message about police brutality and race relations.
“Rebel” was originally written for Amadou Diallo, an unarmed black man who was fatally shot by NYC police officers in 1999. Though the track first appeared on Hill’s 2002 MTV Unplugged 2.0 live album, its lyrics are just as significant in 2016.
“You think our lives are cheap and easy to be wasted/As history repeats, so foul you can taste it/And while the people sleep, too comfortable to face it/His life so incomplete, and nothing can replace it/And while the people sleep, too comfortable to face it/Your lives so incomplete, and nothing can replace it,” she sings.
You can watch Hill’s Charlie Rose performance above. The new “Rebel/I Find It Hard to Say” track is available to stream on Tidal.
