Hip-hop diva Lauryn Hill defrauded her Fugees bandmates out of a fair share of the proceeds from a planned reunion tour that ultimately fell through, according to a scathing new federal lawsuit.
Grammy-winning trio member Prakazrel “Pras” Mitchell claims in a complaint filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court that Hill’s solo success “went to her head” and she was tired of taking control of the tour — and a The lion’s share of the expected profits – while the rest of the group was kept in the dark.
“Betrayal is always terrible, but the closer the betrayer, the greater the evil,” the introduction to the 28-page complaint reads. “Some people say that God gives you friends to support your family.
“God must have been on vacation the day Lauryn Hill was paired with Wycliffe Jean and Pras Mitchell,” the lawsuit says, “as the betrayal between the fake Fugees family has grown to mythic proportions.”
“This is their story of sorrow.”
Mitchell claims Hill took advantage of the fact that he was facing mounting legal bills in an unrelated conspiracy case in which he was implicated in the $4.5 billion Malaysia fraud case.
“Hill’s ploy to appear to be Mitchell’s supposed protector was actually a devious attempt to score a bigger score for himself by earning millions of dollars from the Fugees tour,” the lawsuit said. “Hill knew he had Michelle and he didn’t hesitate to pounce and take full advantage of her desperation.”
The lawsuit accuses Hill of fraud, breach of contract and other claims and seeks unspecified damages.
hill Responded to the allegations on Instagram “The baseless lawsuit by Pras is full of false claims and unfair attacks,” it posted after the lawsuit was filed.
He refuted the claims in a seven-point post, including that Mitchell was given a $3 million advance for the planned tour – and that failing to repay the money after the tour was canceled is a breach of the agreement.
“I’m not in the business of kicking anyone, especially when they’re down, which is why I haven’t responded until today,” Hill wrote. “It’s absolutely disappointing to see Prus, who was built by my band and whom I considered my friend, in this position.”
The Fugees emerged from South Orange, New Jersey and became a hip-hop sensation of the 1990s with the 1996 hit “Ready or Not”, while two years later Hill’s landmark solo debut, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” became the first hip-hop single to be released. Hop album. To win the Album of the Year Grammy.
But the group soon stopped performing together, with a few exceptions, until talk of a reunion in 2021 came up — the lawsuit said, when internal turmoil in the Fugees began to peak.
It says, “For the proposed 2021 tour, Hill sought to gain control over the group, including exclusive control of the Fugees trademark and all financial, creative and business aspects of the proposed Fugees tour.”
However, the planned tour fell through when Mitchell balked at getting Hill paid for the shows in advance.
Last year, the Fugitives hit the road to celebrate the 25th anniversary of “Miseducation” – but were turned down when Hill said she was suffering from “severe vocal strain” and could not continue performing.
This year, the trio was supposed to hit the road again, but those shows were canceled last month – according to Mitchell because he wouldn’t sign on given the financial arrangements.
According to the lawsuit, his lawyers claimed that Hill’s contractual arrangements for the 2023 tour gave him a 40% share “from the top” before a three-way split of the remaining money.
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