Oh, The Fugees – masters of smooth music and, apparently, not-so-smooth drama. If you’re thinking about reuniting your old high school band, you might want to take notes from the latest fiasco between these legends. Spoiler alert: it involves big money, bruised egos, and more lawsuits than you can shake a Grammy at.
So, here’s the tea: The Fugees’ reunion tour was about as stable as a Jenga tower in an earthquake. Fans were all set to relive the glory days of “Killing Me Softly,” only for the whole thing to be scrapped just three days before kickoff. Cue the collective groan of disappointed 90s kids everywhere.
But wait! This isn’t just a story of a tour cancellation. No, no, it’s much juicier than that. Co-founder Pras Michel, who’s no stranger to controversy (more on that later), decided he had had it with his bandmate, Lauryn Hill. And what better way to express that than with a lawsuit! Yes, Pras slapped Lauryn with a fraud and breach of contract claim that’s spicier than a hot sauce bottle.
What’s the beef, you ask? Well, apparently, Lauryn’s got a bit of an ego problem. According to Pras, she turned down a $5 million Coachella gig because she wasn’t thrilled that No Doubt was headlining over The Fugees. Yep, you read that right. Lauryn allegedly felt so snubbed by Gwen Stefani and the gang that she told Coachella to shove their millions where the sun doesn’t shine – and didn’t even bother to loop Pras in on the decision.
And just when you think it can’t get any weirder, Lauryn reportedly had the audacity to ask Pras if he’d open for her son at the same Coachella. Yes, her son. For free. This is like your friend cancelling a trip to the Bahamas and then asking you to dog-sit their pet iguana instead.
The lawsuit goes on to describe how Lauryn allegedly orchestrated the reunion like some kind of band-related chess match. According to Pras, Lauryn’s solo tour tanked so hard that she figured the only way to fill arenas was to reunite The Fugees – not out of love for her old pals, but because her ego needed feeding. (Apparently, an ego this big needs stadium-sized snacks.)
But if you think the drama stops there, oh no – it keeps rolling! Even during the reunion that did happen, Pras claims Lauryn was taking a 40% cut of the profits, leaving him and Wyclef to fight over the scraps. It’s like inviting someone to dinner and then eating most of their dessert while they’re in the bathroom. Rude.
And if you’re thinking, “Hey, this is starting to sound like a reality show,” just wait. Lauryn supposedly struck a new deal with Live Nation for an 18-show tour in 2024, but neglected to share the finer details with Pras. Oh, and those ticket sales? Not exactly flying off the shelves. While Lauryn blames “vocal strain” and other vague reasons, Pras is calling shenanigans, saying she just took too long to get her act together – quite literally.
Of course, no Fugees drama would be complete without a nod to Lauryn’s infamous lateness. According to Pras, Lauryn has “tarnished the Fugees brand” by regularly showing up hours late to shows, which is a classic Lauryn move at this point. Honestly, if you’re a Fugees fan and you don’t show up two hours late to the concert yourself, are you even doing it right?
But while Lauryn’s tardiness is legendary, Pras has his own problems to deal with. You see, he’s recently been convicted of political conspiracy – no big deal, just your run-of-the-mill international scandal. He’s facing up to 20 years in prison, but he swears he’s innocent and is appealing the verdict. Because why have one court case when you can have two?
As for Lauryn, she hasn’t responded yet to Pras’ lawsuit, but given her track record, we can probably expect a reply… sometime in 2025.
So, the moral of the story? Maybe leave the band reunions to the nostalgia playlists. Because sometimes, the only thing worse than breaking up… is getting back together.