Cardi B has taken her cancelled Kingston concert fight public, and Jamaica’s government has now stepped in to clear its own name.

In an Instagram Live on Monday, November 9, Cardi B disputed BZR WKND founder Ryan Burke’s account of her cancelled October 18 headline show at the National Stadium, according to DancehallMag. Burke told CVM Television that his company has retained counsel and intends to sue, saying Cardi was paid in full, a deal he put at US$2.5 million, according to Kaboom Magazine.

Cardi’s version is different, and she said it plainly: “You never sent me 2.5.”

Two Versions of the Same Money

According to Cardi, she received a deposit of about US$900,000 toward a US$1 million deposit, and a second payment meant to cover production was due September 17 and never arrived on time, according to Baller Alert and Kaboom Magazine.

She says a further US$750,000 only moved eight or nine days before the show, after she had already decided to cancel, and she sent it back, according to DancehallMag. By then, she said, her production cargo was still in Miami and flights, hotels and cargo costs had doubled.

Burke’s account, given to CVM Television, is that Cardi received her full performance fee and that her team did not respond when organisers asked for the money back, according to DancehallMag. Nation is reporting both claims as claims. No lawsuit filing by either side has been confirmed.

The Government Answers

The dispute widened when Cardi said during the live that the Jamaican government had offered to cover the rest of her fee to save the show, and that she turned it down, according to DancehallMag.

On Tuesday, November 10, the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport answered in a statement. The ministry said the Government of Jamaica made no commitment or payment towards appearance fees or any fees whatsoever in relation to the proposed concert, according to World Music Views.

The ministry called the concert a private commercial engagement in which the government was not involved, and said public money is being directed to Hurricane Melissa recovery, according to World Music Views and YardHype.

What Cardi Says Happens Next

Cardi vowed to countersue if Burke files, saying she would bring a defamation claim and that she holds the evidence, according to DancehallMag. “I am going to countersue you, and babes, I promise you, you are going to lose, because I have every, every single evidence,” she said during the live, according to DancehallMag.

She also objected to organisers linking the cancellation to her grandfather’s passing when the show was moved to December 20. Her grandfather was passing at the time, she said, but she called it disrespectful to frame that as her reason for pulling out, according to DancehallMag.

Her representatives confirmed on October 8 that she would no longer headline Cardi B and Friends at the National Stadium, according to DancehallMag. A day later she apologised to Jamaican fans, denied weak ticket sales, and said more than 18,000 tickets had sold, according to DancehallMag. Organisers moved the concert to December 20 and began processing refunds.

Cardi kept Jamaica itself out of the fight. She said she loves the country and would return if someone else books her, according to DancehallMag.

Nation, two versions, both on camera: who do you believe, Cardi or the promoter?

Photo: Cardi B performing, by Frank Schwichtenberg via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).