Pras Michel joins forces with Mark Wahlberg for a documentary chronicling his rise in Hip-Hop and the federal case that would land him in jail for 22 years.

Pras Michel is popping his authorized battle and Hip-Hop legacy right into a documentary with actor-producer Mark Wahlberg, aiming to make clear the Fugees member’s conviction and looming 22-year sentence tied to international affect allegations.

The undertaking, at the moment in improvement below Wahlberg’s Unrealistic Ideas manufacturing firm, will look at Michel’s rise with the Grammy-winning group and his fall right into a high-stakes federal case involving worldwide cash, politics and energy. Wahlberg is producing the movie alongside Unrealistic Ideas president Archie Gips.

“Everyone is fascinated by all the twists and turns, like it’s some kind of thriller,” Michel advised Variety. “But for me, this is just my life — the real, messy, complicated truth of what I’ve been living through.”

Diddy-ai-lyric-flub/”>Michel was convicted in April 2023 on 10 felony counts, together with conspiracy, witness tampering and performing as an unregistered international agent for China. The fees stem from his connection to Malaysian financier Jho Low, who’s accused of masterminding the multibillion-dollar embezzlement from Malaysia’s 1MDB sovereign wealth fund. Low stays a fugitive, wished by regulation enforcement in a number of nations.

Federal prosecutors say Michel obtained hundreds of thousands from Low to affect U.S. politics, together with allegedly funneling cash into Barack Obama’s 2012 marketing campaign by straw donors. Authorities additionally declare Michel tried to intervene with a Department of Justice probe throughout Donald Trump’s presidency.

“I’m rooting for Pras and excited to tell his story,” Wahlberg stated in a press release. Gips added that the story is “a surprising mix of pop culture and geopolitical intrigue that feels like a spy thriller come to life.”

Michel’s authorized troubles started in 2019 when he was first charged in reference to the sprawling worldwide corruption case. The Justice Department alleges he performed a key function in serving to Low keep away from extradition and keep affect in U.S. political circles.

Before his authorized points, Michel was one-third of the Fugees, the influential Hip-Hop trio that additionally included Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. The group’s 1996 album The Score offered over 22 million copies worldwide and produced hits like “Killing Me Softly” and “Ready or Not.” The group disbanded shortly after their peak.

Michel’s sentencing date has not been introduced. The documentary, which goals to discover each his musical impression and authorized downfall, is his try to reclaim management of his narrative.learn this New York Times report on Michel’s conviction.

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