Fugees founder Pras Michel has filed a lawsuit for defamation against 50 Cent, Kyrie Irving, and Rolling Stone magazine for calling him an FBI informant and a “rat,” according to Rolling Stone. After Rolling Stone reported on Pras’ unusual testimony during the money laundering case against him saying that he approached the FBI after meeting with a Chinese minister in 2017, rumors of Pras being an “informant” spread rapidly online. 50 Cent, who is often quick to react or joke around about hip-hop news stories on social media, called Pras “a rat” on Instagram, while Irving also shared a post calling Pras a “federal informant” on Twitter.
In a letter sent to the Rolling Stone offices Wednesday, May 10, Pras’ attorneys notified the potential defendants of their intention to take them to court. Jonathan Noah Schwartz wrote (again, according to Rolling Stone), “It is and was absolutely and demonstrably false for you to publish that Michel was a ‘government informant.’ Labeling a hip-hop artist such as Michel, the reputation of whom is dependent upon ‘street credibility’ and not being a ‘snitch,’ a ‘government informant’ most certainly tends to subject said hip-hop artist to hatred, distrust, ridicule, contempt and/or disgrace, along with injury in their trade or profession.”
Pras was convicted of money laundering, illegal lobbying, witness tampering, and campaign finance violations in the April trial, all charges stemming from his association with Malaysian money man Jho Low, who is himself wanted for allegedly embezzling billions from his home nation’s sovereign wealth fund.