After Winter Must Come Spring: Lauryn Hill Returns At Rock the Bells

Idolator Staff | August 22, 2010 5:35 pm

After winter, must come spring. Hip-hop legend Lauryn Hill defied doubters and made her widely buzzed return to the stage on Saturday night, powering through a fast-paced set at the first date on the annual Rock The Bells tour. Rocking uptempo renditions of classics like “Lost Ones” and “Doo Wop (That Thing)”, Hill provided the highlight of the day, which also included a knockout performance by Snoop Dogg and his Doggystyle-era crew. Old-school hip-hop fans, prepare to see your dreams come to life in the videos below: You’d be forgiven for wondering whether Lauryn Hill really would perform, and if so, how she’d handle the stage. But this wasn’t one of the meandering, Fela Kuti-inspired sets she’d performed in recent years (to the extent she’s been performing at all). MTV’s Shaheem Reid reports that Hill was focused and lucid, greeting the crowd with “It’s good to see you, everybody!”

See for yourself (we wish the sound quality was better, too; we’ll swap in a CDQ video as soon as we find one):

She really did it. Between this and the appearance of “Repercussions” on the actual Billboard chart, we have to say it: with respect to LL Cool J, we’re actually going to call this a comeback.

As for Snoop, it’s clear he never left — though he has more or less left behind the fantastic G-funk of his early days for the more mainstream world of Dr. Luke-crafted pop, TV show parodies and nerd dreams. Which is why his Rock The Bells set was so special: Snoop performed with his old Dogg Pound and associates, including Kurupt, Daz and Warren G. Dr. Dre and Pharrell appeared too — by way of pre-recorded skits that ran on a screen behind Snoop.

Missed the show? No problem. Snoop tweeted his own photos:

Watch him in action on the dreamy “Lady Of Rage” here:

Overall, it was a fantastic day for hip-hop. (Note: whoever stole Wiz Khalifa’s bong, please return it).

Check Guerilla Union for the three remaining Rock The Bells dates. Shouldn’t you see the show near you?

[Via RapRadar]

[Photo via DJ Semtex]