AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Pras

Artist:Pras f/Ol' Dirty Bastard & Mya

Song:Ghetto Supastar

Album:Bulworth: The Soundtrack

Pras Michel was a member of The Fugees and they were very successful for a brief time in the 90s. After they split up, most fans remember Lauryn Hill's solo success. But Pras also had success with the 1998 single Ghetto Supastar from Warren Beatty's 1998 film Bulworth. Michel was born Oct. 19,1972 in Brooklyn, NY. His parents were Haitian immigrants. He met Lauryn Hill in high school in Maplewood, NY. Then he introduced her to Wyclef Jean who is also Haitian American. They formed The Rap Translators and released the 1993 album Blunted on Reality produced by Ronald Bell of Kool and the Gang. They changed the name of the band to The Fugees and signed with Columbia. Of course they had great success for a couple of years. Then they split up. Michel had success with the 1998 single Ghetto Supastar from the soundtrack of Warren Beatty's 1998 film Bulworth. It also appears on Michel's 1998 album Ghetto Supastar. The single reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, #8 on the R&B Singles chart and #2 on the British Singles chart. The main reason for the single's success was it was the lead single from the Bulworth soundtrack and it was used to promote the film on MTV. Beatty asked Interscope Records music supervisor Karyn Rachtman to compile a hip hop soundtrack to sell the film. And boy did she come through. Not only was the film a hit but the soundtrack was certified Platinum. Michel and Jean produced Ghetto Supastar. The main sample was Islands in the Stream recorded by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton and written by The Bee Gees. At first Interscope wanted an all star chorus to back up Michel. But when Ol' Dirty Bastard was brought in, he convinced Pras and Jean to bring in Mya. One would think that with the single Ghetto Supastar being such a big hit, the 1998 album Ghetto Supastar was also a smash hit. Except it wasn't. The song was too identified with the film. Plus it was not reviewed positively by critics. Both albums are available on CD. Then Michel made the common mistake of not releasing a follow up album until 2005. He was forgotten by then. He hasn't done much music since then. The main thing he has tried to do is a Fugees reunion tour. There's money in that. The first attempt at a tour was cancelled in 2021 due to COVID. They tried again last year. But the tour was cancelled three days before the first date and Michel has sued Lauryn Hill for breach of contract. What else is new? Here's the video for Ghetto Supastar by Pras featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard and Mya.