When The Fugees — one of the most influential, groundbreaking groups in music history — announced that a reunion tour would take place this year, fans were cautiously optimistic. Show cancellations, frequent tardiness and group infighting has damaged their reputation, so many fans hoped for the best but expected the worst.
Turns out they had reason to be concerned, because just days before the U.S. leg of the tour was set to begin, those dates were suddenly canceled. Lauryn Hill blamed the media’s coverage of previous cancellations and her well-known tardiness for the low ticket sales that led to the cancellation.
As previously reported by The Root, in the wake of the controversy, Hill’s bandmate Pras recorded a diss track titled, “Bar Mitzfa.” The song features the lyrics, “Don’t blame me, blame her, she made the mess / Not another fucking penny is what I told ‘Clef.”
In an interview with Vulture, Pras discussed his real feelings about the cancellation and the difficulties of working with Hill. He says “Bar Mitzfa” is “not a diss track.” Pras describes the situation as a family dispute.
“You’re family, you have internal disagreements, but it’s not going to be on a level where I’m dissing her — that doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “Artistically speaking, sometimes we say things because that’s how we express ourselves. This track is me speaking my truth. When I was writing the record, those lines just came out.”
He went on to express his “frustration…for the fans,” saying, “They are paying their hard-earned money to see you.”
Even though he understands their feelings, Pras is still surprised by how intense the backlash toward the “Everything is Everything” artist is.
“I’ve never seen this kind of fan reaction toward Lauryn Hill,” the Grammy winner said. “There is a rejection — ‘We help to pay your bill. Just like we should be happy you came, you should be happy we coming.’ This dynamic is a two-way street. It’s tough love. But this is not an indictment of her and her character. All people are complaining about is lateness.”
Though he’s clearly still fond of Hill, Pras didn’t mince words about how difficult it is to navigate her frequent tardiness.
“There’s obviously reservation,” he said. “We don’t even ask her if she’s gonna be on time anymore; we say, ‘How late is she going to be?’ It gets to a point that you say, is it even really all worth it?”
While Pras’ legal issues mean there are restrictions on his international travel, he’s still interested in performing on the European dates of the tour, which are currently scheduled for October.
“It’s a loaded question. I’m always going to love to perform. I feel like when we’re onstage, nothing can stop us,” he said. “The thing that I don’t want to do is be inconsiderate to the fans. People take fans for granted, and I get it, but you know, I’m amongst the common people, even though I’m in my bracket. I don’t want to be a part of something that’s not going to be able to reciprocate the appreciation and gratitude. If the tour in Europe can be cleared up, I want to come.”