Fugees are reuniting for their first album in 28 years, it is claimed – as member Pras Michel awaits sentencing for his role in a $100 million foreign extortion plot.
Made up of Michel, Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, Fugees rose to stardom in the 1990s but released only two albums before their breakup in 1997.
A reunion has been in the works for the past few years, although there were hiccups due to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, the trio were able to get back together for a barnstorming tour – and now a source has informed Page Six that an album is also in progress, their first since their seminal 1996 release The Cure.
Michel meanwhile was convicted last year on 10 felony counts for his involvement in the extortion scandal, having been the lynchpin lobbyist for China in a bewildering drama whose cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
Fugees are reuniting for their first album in 28 years, it is claimed; the trio, made up of (from left) Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel are pictured in 1996
The Grammy winning artist, who prosecutors say netted $88 million through the scheme, was found guilty in a three-week trial in April 2023 of charges including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign government agent.
He could face up to 20 years in prison, but he has yet to be officially sentenced and is soldiering ahead with his musical career in the meantime.
Fugees were initially meant to go on a reunion tour in 2021 as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations for their second and – to date – latest album The Score.
However that run of concerts was postponed, then canceled altogether, because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
Last fall, they were finally able to embark on a thunderous reunion tour to mark the 25th anniversary of Hill’s solo album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill.
The venture was not without its roadblocks, including multiple shows having to be delayed because Hill was experiencing vocal problems.
In another wrinkle, Michel was unable to play the Vancouver concert because his passport had been confiscated over his legal woes, according to Vulture.
Now, after a months-long pause, it has emerged that Fugees are about to go back on tour – with multiple shows scheduled abroad.
Made up of Michel, Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, Fugees rose to stardom in the 1990s but released only two albums before their breakup in 1997
Last year, the hip-hop trio got back together for a barnstorming tour – and now a source has informed Page Six that an album is also in progress; pictured in Los Angeles in November
Fugees were initially meant to go on a reunion tour in 2021 as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations for their second and – to date – latest album The Score
They announced the new concert dates on Monday, revealing they will begin in Tampa, Florida on August 9 and wrap up in Amsterdam on October 22.
The group’s various reunion projects are unfolding against the backdrop of the baffling drama involving Michel and China.
Michel was convicted last April on all 10 felony charges he faced, with prosecutors claiming he pocketed $88million as part of a foreign extortion plot.
He was the unlikely agent of flamboyant Malaysian businessman and fugitive Low Taek Jho, who paid Michel to wield influence from the corridors of Washington D.C. to the mansions of Hollywood.
The rapper was accused of illegally funneling cash into political causes including Obama’s 2012 election campaign, and also tried to persuade top-raking officials in the Trump administration to drop a federal probe into Low and deport a billionaire Chinese dissident.
He was paid with money Low allegedly embezzled from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund.
Jho Low was the moneyman behind the international scheme – and he allegedly made this fortune as the mastermind of the largest embezzlement plot ever.
The Malaysian businessman, 42, allegedly spearheaded the 1MDB scandal, which siphoned $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund.
Michel was convicted last April on all 10 felony charges he faced; he is pictured outside the Washington, DC courthouse in March 2023
He is now wanted by the US government and believed to be hiding in China.
Before Interpol issued a red notice for Low’s arrest in 2016, he enjoyed a reputation as a flamboyant party boy whose lavish events included a host of A listers.
His connections include Kim Kardashian, who according to an FBI report once received a trash bag filled with $250,000 from Low after a card game.
Leonardo DiCaprio, whose movie The Wolf Of Wall Street was partly financed by Low, was one of the witnesses who testified at Michel’s trial.