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Footage shows Dave Chappelle protesting Fugees’ set being cut short at Lauryn Hill’s Diaspora Calling! festival: “You’re fucking up history”
“You turned off the mic on Martin Luther King”
Footage has emerged of Dave Chappelle getting frustrated with staff at Diaspora Calling! Festival after Fugees set was cut short.
- READ MORE: Why ‘The Score’ is one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever
The set came as part of Lauryn Hill‘s festival, which was held at the Milton Keynes National Bowl on August 7.
Hill and Wyclef Jean reunited for the event on Friday (August 7) alongside Erykah Badu, Giggs and Hill’s sons YG Marley and Zion Marley – also the grandchildren of reggae icon Bob Marley.
There was frustration from fans on the night, however, when their set was cut short after they arrived onstage at 10pm BST and the venue had licensing restrictions which prevented it from continuing past 11pm.
At 11pm, the pair attempted to address the crowd, but their microphones were switched off, according to The Sun. Soon after, a message appeared on one of the giant on-stage screens which said: “THANK YOU EVERYONE. We’re sorry for the abrupt finish. As part of our licence we are legally required to finish the show at 11pm and cannot continue beyond this time.”
As well as fans taking to social media to voice their frustrations at the shortened set, the move to cut their set short also frustrated comedian Dave Chappelle, who was hosting the event and introducing acts to the stage throughout the night.
“You’re f*cking up history. You turned off the mic on Martin Luther King, n*gga.”
New footage shows Dave Chappelle getting mad after the sound was abruptly cut during the Fugees performance at the recent Diaspora Calling! festival in Milton Keynes, England, due to the venue’s 11… pic.twitter.com/jflAr5GdqQ
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) August 14, 2026
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In footage captured on the stage, Chappelle can be seen urging for Fugees to be allowed to continue their set, and pushing for organisers to make an exception given the importance of the reunion to fans.
“You’re fucking up history,” he is heard saying, speaking to off-screen crew members. “You turned off the mic on Martin Luther King… Let us close the show. It’s a moment.”
After seemingly being told that the decision was final, Chappelle is seen saying: “Man, y’all fucked up, I’ll never forget this. Tell them, whoever’s in charge”. He also got a few people to chant “Let us close”, before going back to the crew and asking: “Sir, who can I talk to?”
According to a setlist, their show was due to go on for two hours with guest appearances from Tiwa Savage, Gunna and Little Simz.
NME has contacted a representative of Diaspora Calling! for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
About the abrupt end to the show, Wyclef Jean told The Sun: “We’re really sad how it ended. We was just getting started, so we’re hoping to continue next year.”
He added: “We had so much surprises on the line up and everybody showed up and we really felt the crowd, that love and that energy, it’s something that they need, something they feel, it just reminds you of unity. With so much division, the diaspora calling is just to remind everybody to come together.”
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Fugees – made up of Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel – split in 1997, and have not released an album since then. They did briefly reform between 2004 and 2006, and then reunited for a tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their second album, ‘The Score’, in 2021.
However, just before their 2024 US tour, the Fugees called off their scheduled dates, with Pras suing Lauryn Hill for fraud shortly afterwards. Hill and Jean, meanwhile, have gone on to perform together on a number of occasions. They performed together at Roberta Flack’s memorial in 2025, with Jean joining Hill on stage to perform Fugees classics in London later that year.
More recently, Hill and Jean said there’s “absolutely” new music in the future in a new interview with the BBC.
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Footage has emerged of Dave Chappelle getting frustrated with staff at Diaspora Calling! Festival after Fugees set was cut short.
- READ MORE: Why ‘The Score’ is one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever
The set came as part of Lauryn Hill‘s festival, which was held at the Milton Keynes National Bowl on August 7.
Hill and Wyclef Jean reunited for the event on Friday (August 7) alongside Erykah Badu, Giggs and Hill’s sons YG Marley and Zion Marley – also the grandchildren of reggae icon Bob Marley.
There was frustration from fans on the night, however, when their set was cut short after they arrived onstage at 10pm BST and the venue had licensing restrictions which prevented it from continuing past 11pm.
At 11pm, the pair attempted to address the crowd, but their microphones were switched off, according to The Sun. Soon after, a message appeared on one of the giant on-stage screens which said: “THANK YOU EVERYONE. We’re sorry for the abrupt finish. As part of our licence we are legally required to finish the show at 11pm and cannot continue beyond this time.”
As well as fans taking to social media to voice their frustrations at the shortened set, the move to cut their set short also frustrated comedian Dave Chappelle, who was hosting the event and introducing acts to the stage throughout the night.
“You’re f*cking up history. You turned off the mic on Martin Luther King, n*gga.”
New footage shows Dave Chappelle getting mad after the sound was abruptly cut during the Fugees performance at the recent Diaspora Calling! festival in Milton Keynes, England, due to the venue’s 11… pic.twitter.com/jflAr5GdqQ
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) August 14, 2026
Recommended
In footage captured on the stage, Chappelle can be seen urging for Fugees to be allowed to continue their set, and pushing for organisers to make an exception given the importance of the reunion to fans.
“You’re fucking up history,” he is heard saying, speaking to off-screen crew members. “You turned off the mic on Martin Luther King… Let us close the show. It’s a moment.”
After seemingly being told that the decision was final, Chappelle is seen saying: “Man, y’all fucked up, I’ll never forget this. Tell them, whoever’s in charge”. He also got a few people to chant “Let us close”, before going back to the crew and asking: “Sir, who can I talk to?”
According to a setlist, their show was due to go on for two hours with guest appearances from Tiwa Savage, Gunna and Little Simz.
NME has contacted a representative of Diaspora Calling! for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
About the abrupt end to the show, Wyclef Jean told The Sun: “We’re really sad how it ended. We was just getting started, so we’re hoping to continue next year.”
He added: “We had so much surprises on the line up and everybody showed up and we really felt the crowd, that love and that energy, it’s something that they need, something they feel, it just reminds you of unity. With so much division, the diaspora calling is just to remind everybody to come together.”
View this post on Instagram
Fugees – made up of Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel – split in 1997, and have not released an album since then. They did briefly reform between 2004 and 2006, and then reunited for a tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their second album, ‘The Score’, in 2021.
However, just before their 2024 US tour, the Fugees called off their scheduled dates, with Pras suing Lauryn Hill for fraud shortly afterwards. Hill and Jean, meanwhile, have gone on to perform together on a number of occasions. They performed together at Roberta Flack’s memorial in 2025, with Jean joining Hill on stage to perform Fugees classics in London later that year.
More recently, Hill and Jean said there’s “absolutely” new music in the future in a new interview with the BBC.
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