Busy actress and Madagascar 3 star Jada Pinkett Smith recently dished on her kiddies and how she and her husband refuse to compete at the box office. Get the deets inside and find out about Lauryn Hill's response to the tax issues.
Jada Pinkett Smith opened up recently to HuffPost Black Voices about why Willow's album has yet to drop. And Jada said she and her hubby do not compete at the box office because they have to keep their family in tact. Here are the highlights:
With the film's release just two weeks after the opening weekend of "Men In Black 3," have you and Will discussed the possibility of "Madagascar" topping "Men In Black" at the box office?
Oh no, never. You have to understand what it takes for us to exist as a family. It's like every success belongs to every single family member, because of what we do as a family to help one another and to support one another. So we're never in competition. "Men In Black" did really fantastically well, and that's what the summer's about. There's room for everybody.
As a family, are there any future plans for you all to star in a film?
We actually are. Will and I are trying to figure that out, right now. We're talking about us all starring in a film together. Will and I are definitely planning on working together in the next year. And of course, we're working on the "Annie" project with Willow. But we're just producing that. And then Jaden is finishing up a film with his dad now. But, as always, there's tons of creativity happening in the Smith family household. We're artists to the core.
Willow and I definitely talked about doing something, but not for "Annie." My music is like my freedom space. But Willow and I definitely talked about doing a collaboration. She really loves rock music, so she wants to come on and get crazy with me on a track. Which I would love, because she has a fantastic voice. But she has new music that's coming out this summer and she'll be jumping back on tour. So you can expect some new tracks coming from Willow and Jaden. And I think they're doing a tour this summer as well.
Are the forthcoming tracks off of her debut album or just singles?
Just singles. She definitely wants to put an album out, but we're trying to give her space to grow as an artist. Which is another reason why I adore Jay-Z, because he really understands that process. He's so artist friendly, and he has so much love and respect for Willow. And he's doing such a fantastic job being in partnership with us, in regards to her career and really helping her develop as an artist.
And in tax news........
Lauryn Hill has responded to issues surrounding her taxes. Basically (during a very long winded statement today) Lauryn says she did not pay her taxes because she had "removed" herself from society and the oppressive aspects of the recording industry.
Yes......she evaded her taxes because she had "removed" herself from the foolery and "dangers." She doesn't specify what these "dangers" are. In her statement, she says she conveyed this to authorities.
Can you imagine Lauryn in one of her vintage trench coats and wigs sitting on a couch telling the IRS that she felt oppressed and just didn't have the mental strength to pull those taxes together for three years?
Read her statement (posted on Tumblr) here:
For the past several years, I have remained what others would consider underground. I did this in order to build a community of people, like-minded in their desire for freedom and the right to pursue their goals and lives without being manipulated and controlled by a media protected military industrial complex with a completely different agenda. Having put the lives and needs of other people before my own for multiple years, and having made hundreds of millions of dollars for certain institutions, under complex and sometimes severe circumstances, I began to require growth and more equitable treatment, but was met with resistance. I entered into my craft full of optimism (which I still possess), but immediately saw the suppressive force with which the system attempts to maintain it’s control over a given paradigm. I’ve seen people promote addiction, use sabotage, black listing, media bullying and any other coercion technique they could, to prevent artists from knowing their true value, or exercising their full power. These devices of control, no matter how well intentioned (or not), can have a devastating outcome on the lives of people, especially creative types who must grow and exist within a certain environment and according to a certain pace, in order to live and create optimally.
I kept my life relatively simple, even after huge successes, but it became increasingly obvious that certain indulgences and privileges were expected to come at the expense of my free soul, free mind, and therefore my health and integrity. So I left a more mainstream and public life, in order to wean both myself, and my family, away from a lifestyle that required distortion and compromise as a means for maintaining it. During this critical healing time, there were very few people accessible to me who had not already been seduced or affected by this machine, and therefore who could be trusted to not try and influence or coerce me back into a dynamic of compromise. Individual growth was expected to take place unnaturally, or stagnated outright, subject to marketing and politics. Addressing critical issues like pop culture cannibalism or its manipulation of the young at the expense of everything, was frowned upon and discouraged by limiting funding, or denying it outright. When one has a prolific creative output like I did/do, and is then forced to stop, the effects can be dangerous both emotionally and psychologically, both for the artist and those in need of that resource. It was critically important that I find a suitable pathway within which to exist, without being distorted or economically strong-armed.
During this period of crisis, much was said about me, both slanted and inaccurate, by those who had become dependent on my creative force, yet unwilling to fully acknowledge the importance of my contribution, nor compensate me equitably for it. This was done in an effort to smear my public image, in order to directly affect my ability to earn independently of this system. It took a long time to locate and nurture a community of people strong enough to resist the incredibly unhealthy tide, and more importantly see through it. If I had not been able to make contact with, and establish this community, my life, safety and freedom, would have been directly affected as well as the lives, safety and freedom of my family. Failure to create a non toxic, non exploitative environment was not an option.
After a little more rambling, Lauryn basically gets to the reason she didn't pay taxes saying,
I conveyed all of this when questioned as to why I did not file taxes during this time period. Obviously, the danger I faced was not accepted as reasonable grounds for deferring my tax payments, as authorities, who despite being told all of this, still chose to pursue action against me, as opposed to finding an alternative solution.
My intention has always been to get this situation rectified.When I was working consistently without being affected by the interferences mentioned above, I filed and paid my taxes. This only stopped when it was necessary to withdraw from society, in order to guarantee the safety and well-being of myself and my family.
As this, and other areas of issue are resolved and set straight, I am able to get back to doing what I should be doing, the way it should be done. This is part of that process. To those supporters who were told that I abandoned them, that is untrue. I abandoned greed, corruption, and compromise, never you, and never the artistic gifts and abilities that sustained me.”
Read the FULL statement here. Oh L Boogie...