Fugees Director Gets Sentenced

Aswad Ayinde, director of The Fugees' "Killing Me Softly" video, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for sexual assault this past week, according to The NY Daily News. The current sentence will be added to the 40-year sentence Ayinde received last year for similar charges regarding the sexual abuse of his daughters.

Ayinde fathered six children with his daughters over several years, performing the deliveries himself and burying children that didn't survive.

He was convicted of abusing his now-35 year old daughter repeatedly from the time she was 8. “I can’t describe how much you hurt me and my sisters,” his daughter said in court.

His ex-wife testified in 2010 that he believed the world was going to end. "He said the world was going to end, and it was just going to be him and his offspring and that he was chosen," she said at a pre-trial hearing.

John Forte Unsure of Fugees Reunion

John Forte spoke to Sway Calloway about the prospects of the Fugees reuniting. Forte was a longtime affiliated of the crew and wrote and produced tracks on the group's blockbuster second album, The Score; but the Fugees haven't worked together consistently for fifteen years. Forte says that may change the band's dynamic and impact if they attempted to reunite.

“I’m going to make an analogy, and I don’t know if most listeners are in tune with it, but last night, I was listening to Bob Dylan and I listened to one of his older songs from that era and I was listening to one of his new albums. There are certain periods - like you said, lightning in a bottle - where we hear Sam Cooke singing, ‘A Change is Gonna Come,’ when it comes out during the time that it was needed to come out. You can get the best R&B artist or vocalist today to cover that song, and while it might be a great cover, it might not have the same poignancy and relevance to whatever the current paradigm is. Who knows? I’m not saying that a reunion will or will not happen. That’s probably above my pay grade. But what happened during that time was supposed to happen for that time.”

Producer Promises Fugees Reunion

Producer Jerry Wonda recently shared his belief that the Fugees would be reuniting. Beyond belief, really--Wonda all but guaranteed that the group would be working together again. Wonda worked with the group in it's heyday and seemed certain than fans can expect Wyclef, Lauryn and Pras to make music as a unit again.

"I believe there will be a day when the Fugees get together, but everyone in the group's gotta be ready," he told Rap-Up. "The Fugees are definitely going to get back together. The time will come. You've gotta wait, man...I could tell you that the old days were lovely, and if I could go back again, I definitely would. But it's a whole new era for me right now."