Source: Kevin Dietsch / Getty
In the song “The Mask” by the iconic rap group Fugees, the trio repeats the lyrics, “Feds be hawkin’ me, jokers be stalking me. I walk the streets and camouflage my identity.”
Booooy, those lyrics hit differently now that it has been confirmed that Fugees emcee Pras Michel was once an FBI informant.
According to Vibe, Pras Michel testified Tuesday during his federal conspiracy trial, which he said he decided to do “after consulting with my attorneys and the universe.” And it was during that testimony that the “Fu-Gee-La” rapper confessed to the startling news that he used to be what the Black delegation often affectionately refers to as “the opps,” albeit in an unofficial capacity.
From Vibe:
During his testimony, Michel admitted that he served as an informal FBI informant for the U.S., according to Rolling Stone, during China’s attempt to extradite dissident Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui with the help of Malaysian financier Jho Low, who is currently a fugitive. He added that he voluntarily met with FBI agents on several occasions to discuss Guo and three Americans whom were being held hostage in China.
“I took it upon myself to report because I thought the FBI should know,” Michel explained.
He has plead not guilty on federal counts of conspiracy and falsifying records. The charges are tied to Low’s alleged crimes, in which he was accused of stealing $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.
So, not only was Pras an FBI snitch, but he was apparently a liaison for an international fugitive. Wow!
Pras told Rolling Stone that he met Low at a time when he was enthusiastic about getting into politics in order to “help people,” but that he later realized the political arena was not his ministry.
“I was one of those people who was just dabbling,” he said. “I never thought I would be full-time into politics. I realized politics is not for me. The problem with politics is this: It’s that the people within politics, they’re dirtier than the people who are not in politics.” (That is just a startling piece of “water is wet” news, isn’t it?)
Michel, who faces up to 22 years in federal prison if he’s convicted, maintains that he never made any political donations on Low’s behalf.
See how Twitter’s reacting to the news below.
