John Forté dead at 50: How a musical prodigy went from poverty to Fugees to prison to Martha's Vineyard

As a child, John Forté was a violin prodigy from a atrocious portion of Brooklyn who earned a assistance to an exclusive backstage precocious schoolhouse successful the Northeast. His beingness took him from moving arsenic an A&R enforcement astatine an indie statement to out-of-nowhere commercialized occurrence with the Fugees and past to disappointment arsenic a solo artist.

Then helium was nabbed successful a sting arsenic helium helped facilitate the transport of $1.4 cardinal worthy of liquid cocaine. He was 26 erstwhile helium was convicted and sent to national situation for 14 years.

On Monday, Forté was recovered dormant successful his location successful Chilmark, Mass., connected Martha’s Vineyard, the Associated Press reported. A neighbour recovered him unresponsive successful his room a small earlier 2:30 p.m. and called authorities, according to the MV Times. He was 50.

He was besides the recipient of a uncommon commutation from President George W. Bush, who successful 2008 chopped disconnected Forté’s condemnation aft 7 years and sent him location to resume his philharmonic vocation and make the household helium had longed for astatine 23.

The Chilmark constabulary chief, Sean Slavin, told assorted outlets that determination was nary “readily evident origin of death” but besides nary grounds of foul play. Forté’s decease is being investigated by the authorities aesculapian examiner’s bureau successful Massachusetts, per the Vineyard Gazette.

“This 1 hurts,” Fugees founding subordinate Wyclef Jean wrote Tuesday connected societal media with a video of himself and Forté performing an acoustic set. “my member @john_Forté has joined the Angels legends ne'er Die look astatine the grin R I P my Refugee brother.”

Born Jan. 30, 1975, successful the Brownsville portion of Brooklyn, Forté didn’t person a posh upbringing, saying successful a May 1998 interrogation (posted connected YouTube successful 2016 by the Interview Channel) that his vicinity had been “declared a warfare zone” by the NYPD. He reminisced astir his parent buying him lone generic “plastic” sneakers, past shared immoderate of the discomfort helium experienced erstwhile helium moved into the nicer Brooklyn Heights vicinity aft helium had immoderate philharmonic success.

“It’s crazy, erstwhile you archer them you went to a bully school,” helium said, “and they deliberation you meant betterment school.”

But Forté was really “an inquisitive 8-year-old who played the violin successful a younker orchestra and adjacent had a recital astatine the vaunted Brooklyn Academy of Music,” according to GQ. He picked up immoderate was playing connected the vigor astatine location — jazz, soul, random songs — past decided that rap was his “lifeline” to different world.

Forté besides earned a assistance to the Phillips Exeter Academy, a boarding schoolhouse successful New Hampshire. Ben Taylor, the lad of Carly Simon and James Taylor, besides attended the backstage precocious school, but Ben Taylor and Forté didn’t conscionable until years later. They each became accelerated friends erstwhile they did meet, and the “You’re So Vain” vocalist would play a captious relation erstwhile Forté’s beingness went sideways.

At 16, helium recovered himself successful a workplace watching and learning from Gang Starr, with the rapper Guru and shaper DJ Premier, arsenic they created their music. Forté earned notation successful the liner notes of Gang Starr’s album. “I was like, ‘Oh man, Keith [Elam, a.k.a. Guru] remembered me,” helium told GQ. “That gave maine the tools that I needed to not conscionable rap, but to besides marque music.”

After Exeter, helium studied the euphony concern astatine New York University, according to the New York Times, and roomed with rapper Talib Kweli.

Forté connected with the Refugee Camp All Stars successful 1993, erstwhile helium was 18, done communal friends helium knew from moving arsenic an A&R enforcement for indie rap statement Rawkus Records. He met Lauryn Hill archetypal — they dated briefly, helium said successful the 1998 interrogation — past Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel.

“I submitted beats, we did ‘The Score.’ I was portion of the nominations erstwhile it came down to the Grammys,” Forté said. “It made maine consciousness truly arrogant to beryllium portion of an enactment that successful information was a family.”

“The Score” went to No. 1 astir the satellite and has sold astir 22 cardinal copies. It was the Fugees’ 2nd and last album.

John Forté performs astatine a transgression justness betterment fundraiser successful Washington, D.C., successful May 2018.

(Paul Morigi / Associated Press)

After moving with the Refugee Camp All Stars and the Fugees, Forté released a solo medium successful 1998. The grounds landed similar “a brick,” selling lone 80,000 copies, helium told aged person Kweli connected “The People’s Party” successful 2021. For Forté, it was possibly the archetypal disappointment successful his life, helium said.

“Partially abandoning the easy embraceable dependable helium incorporated connected recordings with the Fugees and Wyclef Jean, Forté includes immoderate tracks with morbid communicative lines connected his debut album,” The Times said of “Poly Sci” successful 1998. “When creating imaginable popular tunes, Forté excels with light-hearted taxable substance and instrumentation. However, erstwhile the Brooklyn autochthonal shifts to gritty themes and backdrops, his entreaty diminishes rapidly. Fortunately, his softer selections redeem this album.”

After the grounds failed, Forté told Kweli, “Instead of looking successful the reflector and self-examining — what tin we bash to close this ship? — I didn’t look successful the mirror. I didn’t look successful the reflector astatine all.” He said helium decided that those astir him had failed him, erstwhile successful information helium had “made that medium successful a vacuum,” without asking for input from radical whose opinions mightiness person helped him.

He expressed his frustrations to his label, Ruffhouse Records, which responded by dropping him.

So Forté figured helium could bash it connected his own, which led to him gathering a antheral successful a nine who had “an operation” and said helium could jump-start the musician’s signaling career. That led to him “becoming a mediate man, connecting him to couriers to transport immoderate needed transporting.” The antheral wanted him to find women to transportation drugs into the United States.

“With lone having my hubris arsenic my guide, what I allowed myself to person — it didn’t effect successful the healthiest choices,” helium told GQ.

“That location of cards fell,” Forté told Kweli. “It wasn’t maine signing up to that, to each of a abrupt alteration professions. ... I was compartmentalizing and justifying it, due to the fact that I was [also] going into the studio.” He had decided the risks were acceptable.

Then 1 time helium did thing that he, arsenic a middleman, had ne'er done before, helium said: He went to Newark International Airport to prime up 2 of the couriers. What helium didn’t cognize was the women had been busted astatine an airdrome successful Houston the time earlier and were present cooperating with the national government. He was driving into a sting.

“When they picked maine up, they conscionable bagged me. Everything, clip stood inactive that day,” helium told Kweli, choking up slightly. “And past everything changed.”

A 2nd album, “I, John,” followed successful 2002, with Carly Simon singing connected 1 duet. But by that time, Forté was imprisoned connected a 14-year national condemnation — “168 months,” helium said — aft being convicted of aiding and abetting possession with intent to administer 5 kilograms oregon much of cocaine.

Forté told the tribunal helium thought helium was picking up wealth successful the suitcases, not $1.4 cardinal worthy of liquid cocaine, according to documents reviewed successful 2008 by ABC News. The condemnation fell connected the debased extremity of arguable mandatory national sentencing guidelines.

Simon, his buddy Ben’s ma who posted bail for him, was among the high-profile radical who pushed for Forté’s aboriginal release, telling ABC News upon his commutation that the 2001 condemnation was excessively harsh for a first-time cause offense. Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah besides pushed for Forté’s merchandise from a low-security national situation successful Pennsylvania.

“He’s an bonzer young man. And helium was the archetypal clip I met him. He’s adjacent much truthful now,” Simon told ABC News connected Nov. 25, 2008, a time aft then-President George W. Bush commuted Forté’s sentence.

Forté spent the archetypal portion of his condemnation successful the instrumentality library, trying to fig a ineligible instrumentality to get out. He besides learned to play acoustic guitar with the assistance of different inmate.

“There’s the realization facet that immoderate prisons are not physical,” helium told the Vineyard Gazette, which would go his section paper, successful 2010. “There are galore radical whom I’ve encountered since returning, immoderate of them feign indifference and others enactment arsenic if they could person nary hint astir what it would beryllium similar to beryllium successful prison, but they’re successful an abusive narration oregon they’re successful a dead-end occupation oregon they are suffering with their health. We each person to spell done immoderate benignant of situation — immoderate are spiritual, immoderate are intelligence and immoderate are physical.”

After his commutation, Forté went backmost to New York and resumed his philharmonic career, often playing acoustic guitar. He recorded a screen of Kanye “Ye” West’s “Homecoming” with Kweli and began teaching. In 2009 helium released “StyleFree, the EP,” and saw the azygous “Play My Cards for Me” look successful the 2010 movie “Just Wright,” starring Queen Latifah and Common. The opus “Nervous” was utilized successful the 2010 movie “Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming.”

By 2012, helium had written and recorded “Something to Lean On,” which became the inaugural rap taxable opus for the Brooklyn Nets erstwhile the NBA franchise moved from New Jersey to New York and changed its name.

He besides appeared successful the 2012 movie “The Russian Winter,” astir his travel from Brooklyn to Exeter to situation and a travel helium took to Russia aft his release.

Forté recovered his mode to Martha’s Vineyard by mode of immoderate aged friends: Simon and Taylor. “After I came location [from prison] and got backmost connected my feet, adjacent though I was surviving successful New York, I would travel up to the Vineyard whenever I could. It inactive had that gravity. And you know, Carly and Ben. They’re family,” helium told Martha’s Vineyard Arts and Ideas successful 2025.

After moving to the land successful 2015, helium met Lara Fuller, a freelance lensman who 2 years aboriginal would go his woman and past the parent of his children, lad Haile and girl Wren. The 2 tied the knot connected Martha’s Vineyard, People said.

“I’m 23 but I person babe fever,” he’d said successful that video interrogation from 1998. “I truly privation to beryllium a dad, you know, I privation my small kids successful the workplace with me, talking about, ‘My dada is cool.’ ... I’m serious, man, it would beryllium truly bully to person a bully pistillate and a bully household that you spell location to. ... But I don’t privation to unreserved things. I’m young and I’m single.”

Forté released his last album, “Vessels, Angels & Ancestors,” successful 2021.

He besides scored the 2024 documentary “Paint Me a Road Out of Here,” astir women imprisoned astatine New York’s Rikers Island and the 50-year travel of a coating from the jailhouse to the Brooklyn Museum, arsenic good arsenic HBO’s revival of “Eyes connected the Prize,” a six-part bid astir the Black acquisition successful America since the civilian rights movement.

As of past year, Forté was inactive successful interaction with the Fugees and was performing live, balancing those efforts with his movie soundtrack and scoring work, which besides included contributions to “The Other Guys” and “Star Trek: Discovery.” And helium said different documentary astir his beingness was successful the works. Petter Ringbom and Marquise Stillwell are listed connected IMDb Pro arsenic directors of “Settling the Score,” which is successful production.

John Forte, center, performs astatine a lounge during the Sundance Film Festival successful Park City, Utah, successful January 2010.

(Katy Winn / AP Images for Gibson Guitar)

“What I recovered myself doing astir precocious is honestly conscionable feeling empowered,” Forté told Martha’s Vineyard Arts and Ideas. “I’ve released a clump of euphony implicit the years. But I’ve lone officially released 4 albums. In betwixt I did a clump of singles and collaborations. In the past, if I wanted to bash an album, it was similar a nationalist backstage concern with the statement — ‘Hey, I’m looking for a spouse to assistance maine onshore this plane.’

“Now I’m ever penning songs. But determination is simply a infinitesimal for maine successful my process wherever the songs that I’m moving connected are intelligibly connected. ‘Oh, I deliberation I deliberation I’m really successful the mediate of an medium here.’ ... [Y]ou cognize I’m doing 2 movies astatine the moment. And I’m besides moving connected [Texas-based musician] Peter More’s caller EP, which we’re finishing up, which is beautiful.”

Family friends told the MV Times that Forté had a seizure past twelvemonth that required hospitalization and had been taking medicine since past to forestall a expansive mal seizure.

Forté is survived by his wife, his 8-year-old girl and his 5-year-old son. A GoFundMe run to rise wealth for the children had raised much than $66,000 of its $90,000 extremity arsenic of Wednesday afternoon.