Wyclef Jean had a positive update for fans when asked about his Fugees groupmate Pras as he faces up to 20 years behind bars for criminal conspiracy.
TMZ caught up with the New Jersey native in New York City on Monday (July 17), where the outlet asked about how Pras is taking being found guilty on 10 counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
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“What I could definitely tell you about Pras, he’s def in good spirits. 100 percent in good spirits,” Clef said.
He was also asked about the possibility of a Fugees biopic, and while he’s open to it, it’s just not quite time yet. “You know what’s crazy about the Fugees story? We would love to do a biopic but it’s still ongoing right now, [but] there’s still so much to talk about.”
Despite the guilty verdict that was handed down in April, Pras has insisted that he’s not an FBI informant — or guilty of any other crime.
Talking to AllHipHop shortly after the verdict, Pras’ representatives insisted that the internet and the long arm of the law both got it wrong.
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“Pras was never an FBI informant. It’s not accurate and, quite frankly, it’s dangerous,” his publicist, Erica Dumas, said to the outlet. “If he was an informant, he would not be on trial. The government does not prosecute and threaten its informants with more than two decades of jail time.”
Though artists like 50 Cent have claimed that Pras was a snitch, there has been one artist that has steadfastly stood by the embattled rapper: Chuck D of Public Enemy.
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Taking to Twitter, the Public Enemy MC blasted what he called a “prop-agenda machine” that was biased against the rapper seemingly from the start.
“Pras was a valedictorian in HighSchool or in the final runnings,” he wrote. “They NEVER mention THAT. Instead USA propAgenda machine ALWAYS promotes this backwoods Jed ass Clampett tale of Hood gangstaS, which NEVER been a threat ANYWHERE other than Blackfolk. Wrong is wrong but this SMELLS.”
Chuck D also shared a photo of the embattled rapper on the cover of Bloomberg Businessweek, with the tagline “The U.S. vs. The Fugee: How Pras Michel got mixed up in a global financial scandal that could cost him his freedom.”
Later on, the “Fight the Power” rapper followed up his tweet with a further explanation that “the narrative is calling him everything in the book and never mentioning it. That’s it. But the deeper you go into any of this Russell you discover a fraternity ALL pssing in the same urinal holding each others johnson.”
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With that, Chuck D was seemingly implying that Pras was the victim of a larger machination designed to make him a scapegoat, rather than holding the true political cabal responsible.
A sentencing date in the matter has not yet been set.
