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Fugees' Diaspora Calling! concert set halted after an hour

Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean's mics were cut off after an hour due to licensing issues, short of the planned two hours.

Fugees

A black-and-white three-panel montage of the Fugees: Lauryn Hill singing into a microphone, Wyclef Jean wearing sunglasses and singing into a microphone, and Pras Michel in a baseball cap.
Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel of the Fugees. Photo: Montage by kanyfug, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean had their microphones cut off partway through their Fugees set at Milton Keynes' Diaspora Calling! festival on Friday, August 7, ending a planned two-hour performance marking 30 years of the album The Score after roughly an hour, Mixmag reported. The pair had followed sets from Erykah Badu, Giggs and Fireboy DML and were about to launch into "Fu-Gee-La" when the sound cut out.

"We're sorry for the abrupt finish. As part of our licence we are legally required to finish the show at 11PM," the on-screen message read. Planned guest appearances from Little Simz, Gunna and Tiwa Savage never happened as a result.

Hill, who had also helped organise the event, stayed on stage afterward to lead an impromptu a cappella rendition of "Ready or Not." Fans in the crowd could be heard booing once the mics went dead.

"We're really sad how it ended. We was just getting started, so we're hoping to continue next year," Wyclef Jean told The Sun afterward.

"We had so much surprises on the line-up and everybody showed up and we really felt the crowd, that love and that energy," he added. "It's something that they need, something they feel, it just reminds you of unity."

The facts

  • Set halted after roughly an hour due to a licensing deadline
  • Marked 30 years of the Fugees' album The Score
  • Held Friday, August 7, 2026 at the Milton Keynes Bowl

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