Bush Pardons John Forté

Tuesday November 25, 2008

Although I am shocked George W. Bush even knows who John Forté is, he commuted the controversial jail sentence of the critically acclaimed producer/songwriter/solo artist yesterday. Forté's career was launched when he produced and co-wrote two songs on The Fugees megahit album The Score, and along with appearing as a guest artist on a string of other records, he released two solo albums, 1998's Poly Sci and 2000's I, John. Just as his career was taking off, in 2000, Forté was arrested at Newark Airport and charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Due to mandatory minimum sentencing laws, this crime netted him 14 years in jail. Forté has always maintained he believed he was transporting what he believed to be cash - not drugs - for a friend. You can read the whole story of his arrest here.

On a side note, Forté's solo debut, Poly Sci was a disappointment in terms of sales, despite being highly anticipated. Many blame this on the fact that his label manager at Sony quit just before the album release. Many musicians find themselves in a similar situation when dealing with a major. When the person who was championing your music at the label leaves, your promotion often goes downhill fast. This is why some musicians have a "key person" clause in their label contracts.