Pras Claims His Lauryn Hill Diss Track Wasn’t a Diss Track, Says He Understands Fans’ Issues With Late and Canceled Concerts (2024)

Fans were shocked, but not surprised, when Lauryn Hill and the Fugees quietly canceled their U.S. tour earlier this month just days before it was set to kick off in Tampa, Fla. Shortly after, Hill released a statement that the trek was called off because of poor ticket sales directly caused by media sensationalizing of previously canceled shows.

Fugees member Pras has broken his silence on the matter, explaining that he understands why fans are upset with the reunited group given that this is the third consecutive year that they have canceled some or all of their tour dates.

“Everyone’s frustration has been building up. This is not something that just happened overnight. My frustration was for the fans,” Pras told Vulture during a candid interview. “They are paying their hard-earned money to see you.”

Not long after the U.S. portion of the tour was canceled — the trio is still slated to perform on the European leg through October — Pras released the track “Bar Mitzfa,” advertised in the media as a diss track with lines including, “She made the mess.” But Pras insists that the song is anything but a diss, and is rather an airing of grievances via an artistic medium.

“I want to preface this by saying it’s not a diss track,” he said. “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. 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.”

After Hill issued her statement on the tour’s cancelation, fans were quick to dismiss her explanation based on her pattern of tardiness and cancelingshows. Pras explained that he understood fans’ frustrations and that he was “both surprised and not surprised” that Hill announced that the U.S. tour would not take place as promised.

“I’ve never seen this kind of fan reaction toward Lauryn Hill,” he 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.” He then asked the reporter how long this has been going on, which she estimated at two decades. “That’s not even normal,” he responded.

He also shared that he wasn’t entirely sure he even wanted to commit to the tour at first. “There’s obviously reservation. 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?”

Pras says that the group has come to expect Hill’s tardiness over the years, and that they had to pre-tape their performance at the Global Citizen Festival in 2021 in anticipation of a delayed start. After she showed up three hours late, fans’ cars were getting towed, and the mayor had to reimburse some of the towing.

Outside of the Fugees, Pras is currently dealing with legal issues stemming from acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government and conspiracy. Though there are restrictions on his traveling outside of the States, he says that he’s willing to join the European leg of the Fugees reunion tour in a few months.

“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.”