The Ten Greatest False Rumors in Pop History

RUMOR: Lauryn Hill allegedly, during a MTV interview, said a comment something like “I would rather [die/have my children starve/not record music] than have white people buy my albums.” The allegations came from a caller to Howard Stern.

DEBUNKED! Again: The allegations came from a caller to Howard Stern. In case that’s not enough to debunk it, there’s the utter lack, as Snopes points out, of either a recording or even just one exact wording of Hill’s quote.

DENY, DENY, DENY: “There are a lot of young black girls who I meet in my travels who don’t have a lot of self-esteem. So if I communicate to them that they’re beautiful, no white person should find fault in that. It doesn’t mean that young white girls aren’t beautiful, because they are just as beautiful.” – Hill, Teen People, 1999