Pras

Pras Is Suing 50 Cent, Kyrie Irving, And ‘Rolling Stone’ For Calling Him An FBI Informant

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Fugees founder Pras Michel has filed a lawsuit for defamation against 50 Cent, Kyrie Irving, and Rolling Stone magazine for calling him an FBI informant and a “rat,” according to Rolling Stone. After Rolling Stone reported on Pras’ unusual testimony during the money laundering case against him saying that he approached the FBI after meeting with a Chinese minister in 2017, rumors of Pras being an “informant” spread rapidly online. 50 Cent, who is often quick to react or joke around about hip-hop news stories on social media, called Pras “a rat” on Instagram, while Irving also shared a post calling Pras a “federal informant” on Twitter.

In a letter sent to the Rolling Stone offices Wednesday, May 10, Pras’ attorneys notified the potential defendants of their intention to take them to court. Jonathan Noah Schwartz wrote (again, according to Rolling Stone), “It is and was absolutely and demonstrably false for you to publish that Michel was a ‘government informant.’ Labeling a hip-hop artist such as Michel, the reputation of whom is dependent upon ‘street credibility’ and not being a ‘snitch,’ a ‘government informant’ most certainly tends to subject said hip-hop artist to hatred, distrust, ridicule, contempt and/or disgrace, along with injury in their trade or profession.”

Pras was convicted of money laundering, illegal lobbying, witness tampering, and campaign finance violations in the April trial, all charges stemming from his association with Malaysian money man Jho Low, who is himself wanted for allegedly embezzling billions from his home nation’s sovereign wealth fund.

[WATCH] The Fugees’ Pras Denies Tekashi 6ix9ine Comparisons, Says He’s Not An FBI Informant

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Last week, Pras of The Fugees was found guilty of 10 charges in an international conspiracy in federal court in Washington D.C. Rumors of the famed rapper becoming an FBI informant began to surface, but the recently convicted felon says despite the verdict, he is not an FBI informant.

While speaking to TMZ, Pras said, “I was never in the past, present, or future, an FBI or CIA informant.” He doubled down on his stance by ading where people could find the paperwork to see he was not an informant. He went on to say, “This is not a Tekashi 6ix9ine situation, respectfully speaking.”

According to an AP News report, Pras “was accused of funneling money from a now-fugitive Malaysian financer through straw donors to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, then trying to squelch a Justice Department investigation and influence an extradition case on behalf of China under the Trump administration.”

The post [WATCH] The Fugees’ Pras Denies Tekashi 6ix9ine Comparisons, Says He’s Not An FBI Informant appeared first on The Source.

Pras Michel Of The Fugees Has Been Found Guilty In His Money Laundering Trial

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Last year, Fugees canceled their reunion tour due to legal troubles. It was reported that Pras — also known as Prakazrel “Pras” Michel — was facing a trial after being indicted in 2019 on charges of conspiracy, making a false statement, and two counts of falsifying records after making contributions to Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign on behalf of Malaysian businessman Jho Low.

Michel was accused of setting up bank accounts to help Low move money into the States, and Low was infamous for stealing $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad sovereign wealth fund.

On Wednesday, April 26, Michel was found guilty on all 10 counts. According to the Justice Department, he faces up to 20 years in prison for the most severe counts in the case.

Michel has been charged with money laundering, campaign finance violations, acting as an unregistered agent for China, concealment and false record keeping, witness tampering, and false statements, according to Barron’s.

Leonardo DiCaprio testified for the prosecution of Low, saying, “I understood him to be a huge businessman with many different connections in Abu Dhabi, Malaysia… a sort of prodigy in the business world, incredibly successful.” Low used stolen money to fund The Wolf Of Wall Street, as well as other projects.

Pras Gets Convicted On 10 Felony Counts

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50 Cent and Pras

On April 26th, Pras, a former member of The Fugees was convicted on 10 felony counts by federal prosecutors. Pras, a musician and former member of The Fugees, has entered a plea of not guilty to multiple charges. These charges include acting as an unregistered foreign agent of China, witness tampering, and conspiring to make illegal […]

The post Pras Gets Convicted On 10 Felony Counts appeared first on SOHH.com.

A Rumor Calling Pras Michel An ‘FBI Informant’ Is Sweeping Twitter After He Testified In His Money Laundering Trial

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Social media is often a flashpoint for misinformation and disinformation, and one of the worst offenders is Twitter. A prime example is a rumor that swept the app calling Fugees member Pras Michel an “FBI informant” after his testimony in the federal money laundering case against him last Tuesday.

<em>Rolling Stone reported that Pras made the unusual move to testify in his own defense after consulting with his lawyers and “the universe” according to Mother Jones reporter Dan Friedman. However, in the report, Rolling Stone noted that Pras had met with FBI agents over the course of the investigation into his association with Malaysian financier Jho Low and whether Pras had helped Low, a foreign national, make campaign contributions illegally in the 2012 election. Low is also under investigation — and currently a fugitive — for allegedly stealing $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.

Obviously, this is a complex case and those “hip-hop Twitter” gossip accounts aren’t exactly legal geniuses. But it doesn’t take a genius to extrapolate “FBI informant” from the report — just a dire misunderstanding of the facts of the case. And once there’s a hot take circulating online, it doesn’t take long for it to start circulating, true or not, as long as it’s inflammatory enough.

In hip-hop, the term “informant” carries a lot of baggage, so of course, “Pras is an informant” is one hell of a takeaway.

In reality, Pras is simply on trial because he allegedly took money from Low and put it into Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign and lobbied Donald Trump’s administration to stop investigating Low and extradite Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, an associate of Steve Bannon. Michel said he met with FBI agents to discuss sending Guo back to China but denied doing so on behalf of the Chinese government (Guo fled to the US in 2015 to escape fraud, corruption, and rape charges, according to Mother Jones. Guo sought asylum, claiming to be a whistleblower).

The rumor probably won’t stop circulating now, but here’s yet another reminder that Twitter gossip is not a trustworthy source — especially not now that old emerald mine nepo baby Musk is in charge.

Today in Hip Hop History: The Fugees Released Their Debut ‘Blunted On Reality’ LP 29 Years Ago

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On this date in 1994, crew members Wyclef Jean, Pras, and a young, talented Lauryn Hill otherwise known as The Fugees formulated their first album entitled Blunted On Reality on Hip Hop indie imprint Ruffhouse Records.

Not as familiar to Hip Hop heads as their follow-up smash sophomore album The Score, Blunted On Reality did not receive the commercial success their first go around, yielding only 12,000 copies sold in the first two years. After the release of The Score, that number jumped to 125K.

With Clef’s hands in every aspect of production, there were very few times when the Haitian national wasn’t behind the boards during the production of this album. Other producers include Salaam Remi, Brand X, Khallis Bayyan and even Pras.

Salute to the trio for bringing us this slept on classic!

The post Today in Hip Hop History: The Fugees Released Their Debut ‘Blunted On Reality’ LP 29 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Lauryn Hill Initiated The Fugees Reunion, According To Pras

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The Fugees reunion is off to a great start, with a well-received comeback show at New York’s Pier 17 as part of the Global Citizen Live concert series and a tour planned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the trio’s classic 1996 album The Score. Now, thanks to the sometimes overlooked group member Pras, fans know who to thank for the return of Fugees: Ms. Lauryn Hill, who apparently was the one who reached out to her former bandmates during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

In an interview about the reunion with Billboard‘s Nadine Graham, Pras said, “It was kinda initiated by Ms. Hill, but the idea was floating around since last year. But you know last year with the pandemic, nobody really knew which way the world was going. It happened organically. She reached out to Wyclef and they reached out to me. I said, ‘Listen, if it feels right, let’s see what happens.’ I think the culture really needed it, wanted it, so we’re just giving them what they want.”

However, with regard to whether the crew would be turning their reunion tour into a comeback album, he was a little more cagey. “I’ma say it like this to you,” he replied. “Last night, it really felt good.”

You can watch Fugees’ reunion performance of “Ready Or Not” above.

The Fugees Return To The Stage To Celebrate 25 Years Of The Score

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The Fugees

After a 15 year hiatus, The Fugees, the iconic hip-hip group consisting of Ms . Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Mitchell, will reunite in an international tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their bestselling 1996 album “The Score.” Performance Is In Support Of Philanthropic Cause The group’s first public performance will be in […]