The Fugees are no strangers to falling out.
And their latest wrangle follows the sudden cancellation of the group’s hotly anticipated reunion tour. As reported, the North American leg of which was scrapped just three days before it was set to kick off.
Fans were none too impressed and, as it turns out, neither was co-founder Pras Michel.
For, the performer has sued Lauryn Hill for fraud and breach of contract.
Full story below…
The scathing lawsuit lambasts Hill’s “narcissistic tendencies” and sensationally claims that she turned down a $5 million offer for the Fugees to perform at Coachella this year after feeling snubbed by the festival putting No Doubt atop of the lineup.
Per the suit:
“Hill’s arrogance was again demonstrated when she unilaterally rejected a $5 Million offer [to play Coachella]. The reason was that her ego was bruised since the group No Doubt would be receiving top billing over The Fugees the night of their show,” the complaints says. “Hill never told Pras about the offer or that she had was rejected it. Pras only learned about it when it was too late, after Hill, in an astonishing display of hubris, asked Pras if he would agree to perform a few Fugees songs for free as the opening act for her son, ‘YG’ Marley, who was slated to perform at the same Coachella festival.”
Painting an altogether different picture of events compared to Hill’s account of the reunion, Michel suggests a failed solo tour saw the songbird pitch a reunion to their bandmate Wyclef Jean – who, in turn, presented the idea to Michel. The suit shared:
“[She[ realized that the only chance for her to perform at arena size venues and feed her insatiable ego would be to reunite with Pras and Wyclef and bill the 25th Anniversary tour as a ‘Fugees” tour.’
The trio would embark on a 2023 trek before the plug was pulled due to Hill’s “vocal strain.” But even the “good” from that jaunt allegedly caused issues for Michel. For, he claims an odd financial setup left him in the red – while disproportionately benefiting Hill.
Claiming he and his reps only learned of the nuances of the deal this year, the suit states:
“Hill was taking 40% of the tour guarantees and tour net profits ‘off the top’ for herself, leaving the remaining 60% to be split equally between Hill, Pras and Wyclef.”
Further lifting the lid on the behind-the-scenes melée, Michel’s suit alleges that Hill entered into a new agreement with Live Nation for an 18-show Fugees U.S. tour, which was scheduled to launch in August 2024.
It’s claimed she never disclosed the terms of the deal to Michel.
As Hill herself admitted, ticket sales were underwhelming.
However, Michel refutes her reasonings and instead argues that:
“[She] had taken far too long to close the deal with Live Nation [and] there was little or no marketing for the tour, and not enough time between the announcement and the first concert date to do sufficient advance sales to justify the tour.”
Holistically, Michel’s suit stresses that Hill has:
“tarnished the Fugees brand [as a result of] her habit of showing up late for shows, sometimes by as many as two to three hours.”
The suit (which follows a diss track) is sure to raise eyebrows in some corners, given that Michel himself was recently convicted of political conspiracy.
Michel, who faces up to 20 years in prison, has long maintained his innocence and has mounted an appeal.
As relates to this case, there has been no word yet from Hill.
