Pras is back

A lot has happened since hip-hop singer and actor Pras Michel was a member of the Fugees. He tells Marie-Louise Olson about his new single and documentary film

It was hot on the terrace of the Royal Mirage, the summer raging in Dubai. The warm wind made the heavy, yellow curtains flap nervously as the birds chirped to each other with unrepentant energy. For some reason he insisted on sitting outside, so the rest followed obediently.

Silver chain
Slung back in the red and orange-coloured sofa sat Prakazrel Michel, aka Pras. His white wifebeater hung loosely on his wiry frame revealing a tight, thick silver chain that poked out dangerously. It was his name written in large Arabic script.

"I'm used to it," he said casually, when asked if it wasn't punching holes in his skin. "I've been wearing this for almost 10 years."

The American/Haitian-born rapper, actor and hip-hop artist is particularly known for his hit song Ghetto Supastar and, more noticeably, the days when he was once a member of The Fugees alongside Lauryn Hill (who performed in Dubai recently) and his cousin Wyclef Jean.

Pras was in Dubai recently to film a part of his music video for his new single, Pop Life, from his up-and-coming album, Experience, which is set for release later this year in November.

He picked up a toothpick and played with it absently as he described Experience as a "party record. It's supposed to be about life on the luxurious scale, you know. From like the cars to the nice food… tasting the finer things in life."

Saucy
The saucy, booty-shaking video was shot in different locations around the world, including Paris, Cuba, Haiti, New York, Hong Kong and Dubai.

"I did it to show the culture. Not only showing things from Miami or LA… but more so that people can have a feel of what it's like around the world."

Pras's childhood was far from a lifestyle that invited travelling to exotic places.

"I grew up with my boy Clef (Wyclef Jean). We came from a very strict cultural background. We couldn't watch television, we couldn't talk to girls, couldn't wear sneakers…

"All we did was sing in the choir and play in the church band. We had no idea that it was going to become like it is today. I think for so many years I took it for granted."

Soulful
Apparently wearing no sneakers and singing in the church band was a smart idea. To say it mildly, they blew the world away with their soulful, reggae-induced beats and calls for social independence.

In 1996, The Fugees released their album The Score, which went multi-platinum and won two Grammys - selling an incredible 18 million records and making it one of the best-selling hip-hop albums of all time.

"The magic that happened, that we created… I couldn't… never ever… I wouldn't change a single thing," Pras said. They created that magic, Pras says, because the three were fans of each other.

"I never really liked my voice. It's too deep. But Clef thought I had an incredible voice. We were a group of people who were really into what it was, you know?"

Hard business
The Fugees split up only a year later in 1997 and all three of them embarked on solo projects.

They split up, says Pras, due to "a lot of complications. You have egos… politics. Some people couldn't deal with the pressure. It's a hard business. Then there were the dynamics between Clef and Lauryn," he said.

Fans might be disappointed to hear that a Fugees reunion is out of the question.

"There is a Haitian proverb: You can go and put on perfume. But until you take a shower, you ain't gonna be clean," Pras said grinning.

"The Fugees can't do that. For us to work together, we would have to naturally be at the same place that we were at the beginning."

Unfortunate comment
Things have certainly changed since the beginning. Some years ago Lauryn Hill became wildly unpopular after an unfortunate comment rumoured her to be racist.

"The white people comment?" Pras laughed. "I was there when the comment was made. You see, Lauryn Hill is so militant and thinks she knows everything. She doesn't understand that you gotta be careful with the media."

Pras took a big sip of his water and leaned forward.
"This is how the rumour started. No one knows this except for me, and I remember telling her, 'whatever comes out of your mouth, on or off record, if you don't want anything to be misconstrued, just keep it in your f****** mouth'.

"A journalist asked Lauryn: 'How do you feel about white kids in the suburbs buying your records?' And she said, 'we don't go into the studio to make records so they sell to white people in the suburbs.

"We first make records for ourselves… the three of us. We want to be happy with the record. And if they (white people) happen to like it, then cool'.

"The journalist took this sh** and blew it up. Then it went to Howard Stern, and it murdered her right there."
Pras insists that Hill is not a racist.

"Lauryn has issues with everyone. Black, white, Chinese… I mean listen, man, the reality is this… she's going through some sh**. I'm not quite sure what it is…"

Film projects
Pras has plans of his own for the coming years and by the looks of it, will be a very busy man.

He's involved in several film projects and his hard-hitting documentary, Skid Row - in which he went undercover to document the lives of homeless people in downtown Los Angeles - is coming out soon.

"I'll be a little bit busy. I feel like I'm at a different state in my life right now. I'm at the second wind. This is the second part of my life - new and renewed with a touch of experience."

The Fugees's singles