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) 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 Forté John Forté Interviewed by Music Blog Synconation 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