Ms. Lauryn Hill Packs London Streets For Diaspora Calling! Festival

Diaspora Calling! took place on August 7 at Milton Keynes National Bowl, where Ms. Lauryn Hill delivered her only confirmed U.K. show of 2026 by performing the full 30th-anniversary run of The Fugees’ landmark album The Score alongside Wyclef Jean. The event, conceived and curated by Hill and hosted by Dave Chappelle, drew on her established role as a cornerstone of hip-hop and neo-soul whose work with the group reshaped the genre’s reach.

Thousands gathered in London days earlier for a merchandise pop-up and signing at 180 Studios, where Hill and Wyclef Jean met fans and signed albums, memorabilia and merch. The energy carried to Piccadilly Circus, site of the premiere of the specially commissioned CIRCA film Diaspora Calling! by Los Angeles artist Lauren Halsey and curated by Hill, which turned the Piccadilly Lights into a public display of music, art, community and the global African diaspora. 

The festival itself expanded beyond the stage with visual art, fashion, film, food, wellness programming and a marketplace focused on diaspora-led artists, designers, entrepreneurs and independent businesses, supported by a lineup that featured Erykah Badu, YG Marley, Zion Marley, Giggs and Fireboy DML.

Stream ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’: