Ja Rule wants to make it clear that he is not participating nor is he endorsing the upcoming second Fyre Festival. You’ll probably recall how the rapper, who was one of the co-founders of the 2017 event, received intense backlash after the festival turned out to be far from how it was advertised on social media and in ad campaigns.
Those who were in attendance described it as one of the worst live music experiences they’d ever witnessed after the festival experienced problems related to food, accommodation, medical services, security, and safety.
The event ended up being canceled during its opening weekend, leaving tens of thousands of people stranded after paying upwards of $1,500 for a ticket.
The scandal was documented in the 2019 documentary “Fyre,” showing just how chaotic things had gotten in the lead-up to the festival kicking off its first day. Founder Billy McFarland, who partnered with Ja Rule at the time, has since announced that Fyre Festival II is said to be in the works — but the “Always On Time” rapper wants to make it known he is in no way involved in the project.
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“I don’t know nothing about it,” he told PEOPLE magazine at the 50 Years of Hip Hop event in NYC on Thursday. “I don’t know nothing about it. I ain’t in it!” Vanity Fair previously called McFarland “the poster boy for millennial scamming” after defrauding investors of close to $28 million by marketing Fyre Festival to be something it clearly wasn’t.
He and Ja Rule were sued for $100 million in May 2017 in a class action lawsuit filed by furious attendees, which led to McFarland’s arrest the following month. He ended up pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud and was sentenced to six years in prison.
The Fyre Festival was a disaster from the start. The festival was supposed to take place on a private island in the Bahamas, but the island was not ready for the festival. The festival organizers had not obtained the necessary permits, and the infrastructure was not in place to support the festival.
The accommodations that were promised to attendees turned out to be disaster relief tents that were not suitable for the weather conditions. Attendees were stranded on the island with no food, water, or shelter. The festival organizers had not made any arrangements for transportation, and attendees were left stranded on the island.
In addition to the lack of accommodations and infrastructure, the festival organizers had not paid the artists who were scheduled to perform at the festival. Many of the artists canceled their performances after they discovered the conditions on the island.
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Ja Rule and McFarland were the co-founders of the Fyre Festival. Ja Rule was the public face of the festival, and he was heavily involved in promoting the event on social media. McFarland was the mastermind behind the festival, and he was responsible for the logistics and planning.
Both Ja Rule and McFarland were heavily criticized for their role in the Fyre Festival. Many attendees blamed them for the disaster and accused them of fraud. They both denied any wrongdoing and claimed that they were victims of circumstances.