John Forté
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John Forté (born January 30, 1975) is an American recording artist and producer. He is primarily known for being a member of the musical duo Refugee Camp All-Stars, and his production work on the Fugees album '' The Score''. He has released four albums. In 2000, Forté was arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to distribute; he was convicted and sentenced to the mandatory minimum 14 years after being found guilty. In 2008, Forté's prison sentence was commuted by President George W. Bush.


Career


Career beginnings and the Fugees

Forté studied classical
violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...
; he especially enjoyed the work of
Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widesprea ...
. Eventually he matriculated to Phillips Exeter Academy in
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...
, where he graduated in 1993. After high school, Forté returned to New York City, enrolling in NYU as a music business major, where he roomed with rapper
Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...
, before dropping out to work as an artist & repertoire executive at
Rawkus Records Rawkus Records was an American hip hop record label known for starting the careers of many rappers. Rawkus started in 1995 with releases in hip-hop, drum and bass and fun-dustrial (Dystopia One). Label heads Brian Brater and Jarret Myer then si ...
. Forté began his professional music career when he was introduced to
The Fugees ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
by Lauryn Hill in the early 1990s. He co-wrote and produced several songs on their multi-platinum and Grammy-winning 1996 album, '' The Score''. At 21 years of age, Forté was nominated for a Grammy for his work on the album. He went on to tour all over the world with The Fugees, and lent production and vocal performances to 1997's '' Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring the Refugee All-Stars''. Forté partnered with former Fugee member, Pras, for the Top 40 hit single, " Avenues", from the '' Money Talks'' soundtrack. Forté released his debut solo album, '' Poly Sci'' in 1998, which was produced by Wyclef Jean. The album featured performances by Fat Joe, DMX, 20 Grand Pikasoe and Jeni Fujita, and exhibited the same intriguing mix of street and mainstream culture that helped The Fugees break new ground. It was met with critical acclaim but commercial disappointment, selling just under 100,000 copies, blamed in part on the fact that "the record's project manager quit
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...
a week before the album was released, and Columbia Records put little cash behind its promotional tour." Spin called it "a crush between academia and street life that's utterly absorbing."


2000-2010

In 2000, Forté was arrested at
Newark International Airport Newark Liberty International Airport , originally Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport straddling the boundary between the cities of Newark in Essex County and Elizabeth in Union Cou ...
after accepting a briefcase containing $1.4 million worth of liquid
cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...
; he was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to distribute. He was convicted and sentenced to the mandatory minimum 14 years after being found guilty, and incarcerated at FCI Loretto, a low-security federal prison in central Pennsylvania. In 2001, Forté released the well-received '' I, John'', which was recorded while awaiting trial for the drug offense. Unlike his debut, this album takes a more serious approach to music-making. The second album featured guest appearances by Herbie Hancock, Esthero and Tricky, and included a duet with Carly Simon. Simon and her son Ben Taylor were advocates on Forté's behalf, believing he did not receive a fair trial; they fought for an appeal of the mandatory minimum drug laws that remove a judge's discretion in a case. They met Forté through Taylor's cousin, who was a classmate of Forté's at Phillips Exeter. "Carly is a mentor to me, a guide, absolutely my spiritual godmother," Forté has said. With the help of Senator
Orrin Hatch Orrin Grant Hatch (March 22, 1934 – April 23, 2022) was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from Utah from 1977 to 2019. Hatch's 42-year Senate tenure made him the longest-serving Republican U.S. senato ...
, Forté's prison sentence was commuted by President George W. Bush on November 24, 2008. He was released from prison four weeks later, on December 22, 2008. Since leaving the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix on December 22, 2008, Forté has recorded over 50 songs and played over 100 shows. Soon after his release from prison, Forté recorded a cover of
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
's "Homecoming" with Talib Kweli. In the song, he discusses the issues surrounding his jail time. The music video was posted on Okayplayer.com on January 17, 2009. In 2009 he wrote various articles on TheDailyBeast.com, and Okayplayer.com interviewed him as he began his teaching job at the City College of New York in late March 2009. In July 2009, Forté released ''StyleFree, the EP'', a body of work that provided social commentary combined with hope and inspiration. It allowed his audience to bear witness to the remaking of a man. The single off the EP, "Play my Cards For Me," an audible reflection of his hip hop and R&B roots, was placed in the
Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...
/ Common film '' Just Wright'' and the song "Nervous" was used in the film '' Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming.''


2010s: Later career

In January 2010, Forté's work was featured throughout the Sundance Film Festival, where, in addition to performing at the ASCAP Music Café, he scored all of the opening festival trailers, had the end credit song in the film '' Night Catches Us'', and participated in a unique audio and visual collaborative effort with Joe Gordon-Levitt at hitrecord.org. In the spring of 2010, Forté and his band participated in a successful 15-city tour with K'Naan, Wale and Tabi Bonney. Forté founded a production company called Le Castle in 2011 to manage the various projects that he has undertaken in music, film and other fields. In February 2011, Le Castle produced a 9-week tour through
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
. Titled "From Brooklyn to Russia with Love!", the tour took Forté and his band – including bassist Brian Satz, percussionist Ryan Vaughn and keyboardist Patrick Firth – across Russia, from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan and Ekaterinburg, and other smaller locales along the Trans-Siberia Railway. Among the artists with whom Forté collaborated in Russia were Sunsay, Natasha Bedingfield, Evgeny Margulis, Alina Orlova, Billy's Band, Zero People, uma2rman, Emch Subatomic, Sergei Skrypka's State Symphony Cinema Orchestra, Romario, and more. All proceeds from the tour were donated to local orphanages and the international foundations Operation Smile and Petra Nemcova's Happy Hearts Fund. In September, Forté's begin releasing his first full-length album in 10 years, ''Water Light Sound''. The album features collaborations with international stars John Legend, Natasha Bedingfield, Talib Kweli, HD Fre, AZ, Colin Munroe, and Valerie June. One of the tracks called "Your Side" (produced by Dallas Austin) was placed in EA FIFA World Cup 2010. ''Water Light Sound'' will be launched in three vignettes. The first vignette "The Water Suite" will be made available to the public after an exclusive performance in Moscow on 27 September 2011, with Sunsay, an acclaimed artist from Ukraine with whom Forté collaborated on the hit single "Windsong." From Moscow, Forté will continue his promotional tour to such cities as Stockholm, London, Paris, and Casablanca. The two remaining vignettes will be launched over the following months. Forté also appeared on an episode of "NY Ink" January 2012. Forté composed the theme song for the CBS News television documentary series '' Brooklyn DA''.


Upcoming projects

Le Castle is currently finalizing a full-length documentary film about the "From Brooklyn to Russia with Love!" tour, and an album of his collaborations with Russian artists. The film and album are scheduled for release in early 2012. Le Castle is also producing a number of collaborations for Forté with international artists. These projects will be released in the coming months. Forté is also writing his memoir with Simon & Schuster. The book will be published along with a body of original music. A documentary is currently in production that chronicles the uncanny and unique life of Forté from his urban plight out of one of New York's most impoverished ghettos, to the alabaster halls of New England Prep School Phillips Exeter Academy. From worldwide stardom with multi-platinum hip-hop group The Fugees, to an unlikely seven-year incarceration for a drug offense and later to a miraculous commutation by former President George Bush, the documentary specifically explores Forté's return to society as a honed instrument for teaching and song and the acclimation process. The film is being directed by Darryl Phillips and produced by Aarti Tandon and Darryl Phillips.


Charitable work

Forté frequently seeks to team up with charitable causes when performing on tour. In the spring of 2011, Forté undertook a 9-week performance tour through Russia. All proceeds from the tour were donated to local orphanages and the international foundations Operation Smile and Petra Nemcova's Happy Hearts Fund. Forté has been working with at-risk youth to deter them from drugs and crime. He has taught a music course to 12- to 15-year-old students with In Arms Reach, a Harlem-based initiative for children of incarcerated parents. In addition to using his musical abilities to help spread a positive message to children, he has been working with a New York-based charity called Music Unites to promote the arts in under served communities, where he educates students on his version of life, lessons learned, and the pursuit of happiness through music. Forté has also been involved with various organizations dedicated to prison reform, mitigating prisoner recidivism, and reforming federal and state drug laws. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Fortune Society - a New York City-based non-profit which services formerly-incarcerated individuals reentering society.


Discography

* '' Poly Sci'' (1998) * '' I, John'' (2002) * ''Stylefree the EP'' (2009) * ''Water Light Sound'' (2011) * ''Riddem Drive'' (2020) * ''Vessels, Angels & Ancestors'' (2021)Vessels, Angels & Ancestors on Spotify
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See also

* List of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States


References


External links


Public Radio Show State of the Re:Union Speaks with John FortéJohn Forté Interviewed by Music Blog Synconation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forte, John 1975 births Living people Phillips Exeter Academy alumni African-American male rappers People from North Brunswick, New Jersey Recipients of American presidential pardons American drug traffickers Rappers from New Jersey Rappers from Brooklyn 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people