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Photo: Walik Goshorn/Media Punch/Alamy Live News
Pras Michél has a score to settle with Lauryn Hill. The Fugees member is suing his bandmate for fraud and breach of contract over their 2023 reunion tour, according a new lawsuit. The lawsuit comes just months after he blamed her for the tour’s chaos in a song he said was “not a diss track.” As Variety first reported, Michél claims Hill set the reunion up to fail while taking money for herself. He alleges Hill only proposed the reunion to recoup from an unsuccessful solo tour, but says it “was actually a veiled and devious attempt to make a big score for herself.” Hill said Michél’s lawsuit “is full of false claims and unwarranted attacks” in a statement to Vulture. “I am not in the business of kicking anyone, especially when they’re down, which is why I haven’t responded to date,” Hill said. “It is absolutely disheartening to see Pras in this position, my band mate and someone I considered a friend.”
Per Michél’s lawsuit, Hill controlled a “bloated” tour budget that “seemed designed to lose money,” while also taking 40 percent of the tour’s guarantees for herself before splitting the remaining 60 percent with bandmates Michél and Wyclef Jean. Michél even claims Hill “unilaterally” turned down a $5 million opportunity for the Fugees to play Coachella, angry that they would be billed beneath the reunited No Doubt.
Hill eventually canceled the second half of the band’s reunion tour at the last minute over “serious vocal strain.” Michél claims he owed nearly $1 million after the canceled tour dates, after hoping the reunion would help him pay back some of his legal fees for his separate money-laundering trial. (Michél will be sentenced later this year after being found guilty of an international conspiracy.) After Hill canceled the remaining tour dates, Michél released the song “Bar Mitzfa,” where he rapped, “Don’t blame me, blame her, she made the mess.” He later told Vulture the song is “not a diss track,” and said he “was both surprised and not surprised” about the tour cancellation. In the lawsuit, Michél also claims Hill has “tarnished the Fugees brand” with her reputation of showing up late for shows.
In her statement, Hill said she invited the Fugees on the tour as a favor to Michél amid his legal struggles and that he received a $3 million advance to help with his legal fees. She claimed he has not paid back the money “and is currently in breach of this agreement.” Hill also alleged she fronted much of the expenses for the tour, while “Pras basically just had to show up and perform.” Hill further claimed Michél’s trial “was perhaps affecting his judgment, state of mind and character” and causing him to file the lawsuit. “I was not in Pras’ life when he decided to make the unfortunate decision that led to his current legal troubles,” she said. “I did not advise that he make that decision and therefore am in no way responsible for his decision and its consequences though I have taken it upon myself to help. Despite his attacks, I am still compassionate and hope things work out for him.”
Lauryn Hill and the Fugees announced a new co-headlining tour this past June, set to begin less than two months later in August. Michél’s lawsuit claims the tour sold poorly due to the last-minute scheduling and lack of marketing and that Hill never shared the tour agreement with Michél. Hill and the Fugees canceled the North American dates just days before they were set to begin. In a statement at the time, Hill blamed bad sales on “sensationalism and clickbait headlines” that created a media narrative that worked against the tour. The band is still set to play shows in the U.K., France, and the Netherlands beginning October 12.
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Justin Curto
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