S. Samuel
Fugees' rapper Pras Michel is reportedly aiming to get back at least $70,000 or unreleased documentary footage from a director he worked with back in 2009.
Details of the new lawsuit surfaced online over the weekend.
The rapper hired Marshall Tyler to help him shoot Paper Dreams, about Somali pirates off the East African coast, but alleges the filmmaker has not turned over the scenes they shot. He has filed a lawsuit demanding Tyler return the footage, or hand back the $70,000 Michel invested to cover filming and travel expenses. (ABC 4)
Despite the hefty demand, the director’s camp claims he did no wrong.
Pras claims he’s repeatedly asked for the goods, but never heard a word back. Now he’s suing to get the footage … or at least recover his 70 grand, plus damages. A rep for Marshall says, “Pras is trying to assert ownership on material that Marshall owns the copyright to.” (TMZ)
No stranger to films, Pras also released his Skid Row documentary in 2007.
“Skid Row” is a 50-square block area in downtown Los Angeles where an average of 90,000 homeless and transient people live on any given night. More than just a place – it’s a way of life, a mind set, the last resort for those who have given up on society and, in many cases, themselves. In the feature documentary SKID ROW, Pras Michel – one third of the successful hip-hop band The Fugees – lives on the streets of Skid Row for nine straight days and nights as a homeless person. The entire time he and his crew are undercover, using surveillance cameras. His journey is a difficult one, riddled with hunger, exposure to the elements, criminals, drugs and danger. It is also life-changing…as Pras learns not only how to fend for himself, but discovers the dark, very human and, at times, humorous underbelly of Los Angeles. (Snag Films)
Pras’ estranged Fugees member Lauryn Hill is currently on a nationwide tour with rap veteran Nas.
“I couldn’t ask being on tour with a more talented artist, she’s someone we don’t see tour too much in the states,” Nas said referrring to Hill. “I don’t think she’s toured like this in 15 years, if I’m not mistaken. It’s a big deal for me and to be a part of it is something I’ll always remember and the fans and the people out there get a great show. Other tours are great, I get to work with all kinds of artists, this is different because of the back history of knowing Lauryn since the early 1990’s when we were both labelmates and going to promo tours together, her, the Fugees and me to the point of establishing our names and then touring again. Now, she’s become something else. She’s evolved.” (VIBE TV)
