As soon as Lauryn Hill and her old group the Fugees announced their co-headlining tour last year, the jokes about its imminent cancellation started flowing. This crew has a reputation at this point. Fugees previously announced plans for a big reunion tour in 2021, then played a big reunion gig in New York, only to postpone and ultimately cancel the rest of the shows. Hill already had developed her own tendency of missing shows or arriving hours late onstage, and though she managed to reunite with her fellow Fugees at a couple festivals last year, she went on to indefinitely postpone a bunch of her own solo dates. Now, the inevitable has happened.

Three days before the tour was set to kick off, all US shows have been canceled without explanation, Variety reports. Ticketmaster reportedly issued a message to ticket holders reading, “Your event has been canceled. A refund will be on its way to your account soon.” The European dates remain on sale at Hill’s website, but don’t get your hopes up.

Apple Music recently named Hill’s Grammy-winning, hit-making 1998 solo debut The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill the best album of all time.

UPDATE: Hill has addressed the cancelation in a statement released Wednesday evening. She blames media “sensationalism” about previous show cancelations for the tour’s low ticket sales, and promises the UK and Europe shows will still happen.

With difficulty the decision was made to pull down our upcoming North American tour dates.

The shows in the UK and Europe ARE MOVING FORWARD as planned.

Last year, I faced an injury that necessitated the rescheduling of some of my shows. Regrettably, some media outlet’s penchant for sensationalism and clickbait headlines have seemingly created a narrative that has affected ticket sales for the North American portion of the tour. The trust and faith I have in my intentions and my commitment to my art seem to have been overshadowed by this unfortunate portrayal.

The audiences in the UK and Europe not only haven’t seen the Miseducation Anniversary performance yet, they also haven’t seen the Fugees perform together in over 25 years!

Performing for my fans, is a profound exchange of energy and emotion that excites me every time. Every show is a piece of my expression and testament to our connection and shared love for music. I can assure you that no one is more disappointed about not being able to perform than I am.

Know that I am not only grateful for those who appreciate and support my art, but that I FIGHT and push through all kinds of resistance to put together experiences that mean something for all of us. I love being able to bring these performances to you!

I appreciate your understanding. We’re looking forward to performing at the shows in the UK and Europe
in October — and for our fans in North America, when these unforeseen circumstances are resolved, we’ll be back in full force…

With Love, Respect and Honesty, MLH

Pras may be taking the fans’ side, though. The Fugees member tells TMZ, “I saved her reputation for 20 years by not telling my side of the story but oops … cat’s out the bag.”