Photo: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
This interview was published on August 21, 2024 after the Fugees’ North American reunion tour dates were canceled. On October 1, 2024, Variety reported that Pras Michél was suing bandmate Lauryn Hill for fraud and breach of contract related to the canceled tour dates.
In the canon of legendary hip-hop groups, the Fugees are in lockstep with the best of the best. Yet as bright as their star has shone — Bono once referred to the trio of Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel as “the Beatles of hip-hop” — their legacy has also been dampened by fraught political ventures, legal struggles, and Hill’s extreme tardiness at shows. That continued earlier this month, when she announced that the American leg of the group’s long-awaited reunion tour would be canceled. Fans took to social media to express their exasperation, especially with Hill. “At this point, you just like throwing money away if you buy a ticket to her show,” one wrote.
Pras has navigated this roller coaster since day one, typically staying above the fray as his bandmates’ trials and tribulations have dominated headlines. But the tour cancellation, along with his ongoing legal issues, flipped circumstances on their axis. Once the tour was scrapped by Hill, he decided to make his frustrations public on a song called “Bar Mitzfa”: “Don’t blame me, blame her, she made the mess / Not another fucking penny, is what I told Clef.”
Pras recently spoke with Vulture to reveal his side of the story of the cancellation, the current status of his case, and the existence of a yet-to-be-released new song called “Free Pras,” featuring Wyclef Jean and Lil Wayne. He also insists “Bar Mitzfa” is not intended as a diss record. “I love Lauryn,” he says. “She’s like a little sister, we could not beef at all.”
What was your reaction to the American leg of the tour being canceled?
Everyone’s frustration has been building up. This is not something that just happened overnight. My frustration was for the fans. They are paying their hard-earned money to see you. For example, we did Global Citizen in 2021 and they were gracious enough to let us play at another location because they knew that Lauryn could be late and it’s live. They were like, go film it and then we’ll just inject it into whatever segment of the show that we’re projecting. She was three hours late. It was raining. We had fans whose cars were getting towed. The mayor had to reimburse some of the towing. He’s a fan of the Fugees too; he felt bad.
I was walking in Soho after and a fan came up to me from, like, Scandinavia or Latvia. They told me they tried to come to a show that got canceled a day or two prior and lost their hotel and flight. I felt so bad. I took a photo with them. It was the closest thing they could get to seeing a show. We’re going on almost three decades of our existence, individually and as a group. To have people still interested in wanting to come see you, man, you have to be grateful.
After the cancellation of the tour, you released “Bar Mitzfa,” a track where you blame Lauryn for the cancellation.
I want to preface this by saying it’s not a diss track. You’re family, you have internal disagreements, but it’s not going to be on a level where I’m dissing her — that doesn’t make any sense. Artistically speaking, sometimes we say things because that’s how we express ourselves. This track is me speaking my truth. When I was writing the record, those lines just came out. That was actually the last bars that came: “Don’t blame me, blame her, she made the mess.” It sounded hot! I needed something to rhyme with mess, and I was like, Damn, do I put Wyclef in this?
Considering the history, were you nervous about agreeing to do the tour in the first place?
There’s magic when the three of us are onstage. No matter what we’re going through, individually or collectively, when we get on that stage and start performing, it’s euphoric. It brings back the innocence of when we were kids. I’ve known Lauryn Hill since she was 11 years old, and Clef way before that. But there’s obviously reservation. We don’t even ask her if she’s gonna be on time anymore; we say, “How late is she going to be?” It gets to a point that you say, is it even really all worth it?
Were you aware that the cancellation was going to be announced by Lauryn?
I was both surprised and not surprised. Last year, there were supposed to be 20 shows, and we did ten. They were all sold out, but ten extra shows needed to be done that she canceled. Now you put shows on sale this year, and people are like, How do we know this is not gonna be canceled? The fans are saying, “It’s summertime, school’s about to come, I gotta buy supplies for my kids, there’s inflation.” There’s so much you have to coordinate in your life. To go through that process for her to turn around and say, “Oops, canceled” …
I’ve never seen this kind of fan reaction toward Lauryn Hill. There is a rejection — We help to pay your bill. Just like we should be happy you came, you should be happy we coming. This dynamic is a two-way street. It’s tough love. But this is not an indictment of her and her character. All people are complaining about is lateness. This has been going on — how long has it been going on that you know of?
Maybe two decades?
That’s not even normal.
I’m curious about your dynamic as a group off-stage. What is the interpersonal connection like between you, Lauryn, and Clef? Is it more professional now?
We communicate sometimes. I guess I’m like the Bobby Brown of the group. Clef and I communicate a bit more regularly than I do with Lauryn, but, I mean, we’re all on WhatsApp.
Last year, you were convicted of ten counts of conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, and later accused your former lawyer of incompetent representation. There’s a little ambiguity as to what your status currently is. You are awaiting sentencing, correct?
Once I was found guilty, I had to bring in new lawyers to come in. Constitutionally, some of my rights were violated. We’re waiting for this judge to give a ruling on it. She agrees with the new defense team. Part of it was also my previous attorney; he used AI to help represent me. You’re representing someone’s life, you can’t use a computer generator that just came about, like, within months. I haven’t even gotten to the sentencing stage yet.
I’m just gonna have to trust the process. I’m still waiting for some definitive conclusion on this whole situation. You can go crazy. Time stops, you’re in a holding pattern, still trying to maintain an everyday life and routine and be positive. It could have been a lot worse, so you have to be thankful to have a platform to express yourself artistically and let the chips fall where they may.
Has Clef been there for you as you’ve gone through this process?
Clef has been very supportive. That’s my older brother, he doesn’t want to see anything happen to me. So he’s been as supportive as he can be. I love him, just as much as I love Lauryn.
You shared a track with me that you’ve been working on called “Free Pras,” where you address your ongoing legal fight. It’s you, Clef, and Lil Wayne. How did the song come about?
This track was supposed to be a Fugees and Wayne track. Wyclef and Jerry “Wonda” produced it. Clef reached out to me last year, right before the tour. I just came out of my situation and was bringing in a new legal team. He was like, “I got a track for you, you gotta speak your truth.” My truth is “Free Pras.” He said, “I got Wayne and I’m waiting for Lauryn.” He sent me the verse, Wayne is killing it. But I’m at a point right now where I can’t just be doing things for exercise. I’m asking, is this real? If she gets on it as a Fugees and Wayne record, this could be really good for the culture. But he’s like, “Nah, man, I spoke to her.” So you’re making me go in, just coming from what I came from, and you don’t drop your verse on this? It would just have been a great moment for her.
Did you ever speak with her directly about being disappointed by that?
It didn’t happen. I don’t talk to her about stuff like that. Life moves on. The track is hard without her, but it would have been great with her.
What’s next for you right now?
First thing is to have some resolution with the legal — it’s just this black cloud over my head. The case is complicated; O.J., we know what it was. It was a simple, did he do it or did he not? It’s political, and you can’t expect the average person to begin to wrap their head around it. You’re not gonna understand the full thing through a song, obviously, but “Free Pras” gives you a sense. Like where I say, “They took $73 million for me, bugs on a windshield.”
Not gonna lie, if somebody took $73 million for me, I’d be down bad.
Don’t get me wrong. I was hot. [Laughs] But I mean, I still got my health, my family, my beautiful children. You just put things in perspective. Like, do I care about my Patek anymore?
What do you hope to get from either the hip-hop community or from your fans in the coming months and years? What do you think has been misunderstood?
That’s a good question. Hopefully, they’ll know the truth and have a little more understanding of what happened. I’m one of those people who like to be in the shadows. Moves in silence like the G in lasagna, like Wayne said — that’s been my whole M.O. I want to live my life and be able to do things that I really want to get into, which is to help the world. That’s what the Fugees, in essence, is really about.
The international leg of the Fugees tour is still happening. Are you looking to it?
It’s a loaded question. I’m always going to love to perform. I feel like when we’re onstage, nothing can stop us. The thing that I don’t want to do is be inconsiderate to the fans. People take fans for granted, and I get it, but you know, I’m amongst the common people, even though I’m in my bracket. I don’t want to be a part of something that’s not going to be able to reciprocate the appreciation and gratitude. If the tour in Europe can be cleared up, I want to come.
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