We love The Fugees, here at I Love Old School Music. Members, Wyclef Jean, Pras, and Lauryn Hill were giving us real hip-hop…and at times, real R&B as well (thanks to Lauryn’s beautiful voice). But as we already know, things eventually went sour among them.
Before their demise though, it was nothing but love. And to show just how much of a bond they had, in recent years, Pras shared that Lauryn Hill turned down a TON of money to stand by her group members. She also made them lose even more, according to Pras, but we’ll get to that in a minute. During a radio interview with Ed Lover, Pras broke down what she did for them and said that’s why he’ll always love and respect her. Check out what happened below.
Lauryn Turned Down Millions For Her Group Members
Pras tells Ed Lover: “No matter what Lauryn Hill ever do, or say, I will always have so much respect for her because I’mma tell you something she did in the very beginning of our career. So, back when we [were] kinda like just getting on, Penny Hardaway (former NBA player), when he was hot…he goes to the manager and says ‘I want Lauryn Hill, to do a commercial with her. … I don’t want the guys [Pras and Wyclef], I want Lauryn.’ She [Lauryn] was like, ‘Well, I’m not doing anything without my crew…you gotta take ALL of us. You can’t just pluck me away.’ “
But then Pras said the ad agency came back with an offer of $3 MILLION for Lauryn, to entice her to do the commercial with Penny Hardaway, without Pras and Wyclef and she still gave them a ‘Hell no’…
‘Yo, here’s $3 million…you wanna break it off with the guys [Pras and Wyclef], we don’t give a fu*k; but we don’t want these mothafu**as on the set. Tell them Haitian ni&&as to go back to Haiti, but we want you,’ Pras said the ad agency told Lauryn. Then he said, “She turned it down. THAT’s honorable. So that means what happened at that time we couldn’t come back together (after the Fugees broke up) that was pain,” explained Pras.
BUT THAT”S NOT ALL…
Why Lauryn Hill Recently Turned Down $90 MILLION!
Although The Fugees have recently reunited as of September 2021 for the first time in 15 years, according to Pras, Hill passed up a prior opportunity to do so…and it was a very lucrative one.
Pras: “Ms. Hill…she doesn’t care about none of that sh*t, all she cares about is truth and respect and if you don’t have that, that woman would rather go into a place of misery…[…] Her thing is, ‘When we first started we were equal. It didn’t matter if the world was bowing down to me and saying -Y’all two niggas need to go back to Haiti.- NO, I don’t give a f*&k, I’m rockin’ with you ni&&as….that don’t mean nothing to me.'”
“Five months ago we got an offer to make 90 million dollars to go on the road…they were like y’all don’t even got to do a record, let’s go on the road. She [Lauryn] was like ‘No,’ and I respect that.
Then Pras explained why she said no and it has a lot to do with the tension that still cuts extremely deep between Lauryn and Wyclef:
Pras: “The worst thing is when you’re in a room with someone and y’all don’t gel with each other and you gotta work with each other. That’s prison… With her, it doesn’t matter if she’s BROKE, if she’s not in that space, she’s not fuc&in with it! And I gotta respect that to a certain extent, even though I’m like “Sh*t, I could use that extra 22 million” (referring to his portion of the 90 mill’ they would have taken home).
Lauryn Hill recently stated her reasons for deciding to tour with the group again in 2021, for their 25th anniversary:
Via LA Times – “The Fugees have a complex but impactful history,” Hill said in a statement, unaware that it was the album’s 25th anniversary until someone brought it to her attention. “I decided to honor this significant project, its anniversary, and the fans who appreciated the music by creating a peaceful platform where we could unite, perform the music we loved, and set an example of reconciliation for the world.”
Wow, when it comes to Ms. Hill…talk about a stand up woman! For $90 million, some folks would be willing to backstab their own Mother…just sayin.’
