In a recent interview with MTV’s Mixtape Daily, singer/songwriter and former Fugees affiliate John Forte announced that he will be writing a book for Simon and Schuster about his infamous arrest in 2000 after he was caught with $1.4 million worth of cocaine in a suitcase in an airport. In 2008, President George W. Bush pardoned Forte while he was serving a 14-year prison sentence for the arrest. Forte says that penning the book has proven to be a difficult experience given the gravity of the subject.
“It’s a pretty uncomfortable thing for me to do,” said Forte. “In order for me to tell this story the right way and to do it justice, I have to relive this moment. Yes, it’s cathartic, but also to have this discipline to sit still and to revisit what it was like to be on top of the world and be buried beneath the world.” (MTV.com)
Following his release, Forte said he wanted to make sure he did not attempt to capitalize on his crimes. Although he did release Stylefree the EP and is currently preparing the release of his third album Water Light Sound, Forte says that he had to make sure he completely rejoined free society before he attempted to address the issue in music.
“I think there was an expectation for me to come home and for me to cash in on the credibility factor,” he noted. “I was real. I was thorough. I did this. That wasn’t impressive to me. I went on a journey. I felt like I went all around the world, even though I was sitting still. I got to a pretty comfortable place in my headspace and my spirituality — that was still removed from society. So I had to come home and make sure I was still in tune with what was happening here.” (MTV.com)
