2 months ago
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Reggae icon Sizza Kalonji has responded to comments made by JACHO Entertainment, organisers of the One Caribbean Music Festival (OCMF) in Trinidad, as details concerning the event’s major breakdowns continue to unravel.
In a recent interview with ET&T, Promoter Odane Anderson claimed that Sizzla and his team requested to be paid the same amount as headlining performer Vybz Kartel. However, in a response posted to his official social media account, Sizzla called the statement "a blatant lie".
“We simply said to the promoter in a meeting, when he still didn't offer to pay us the 50 per cent of our original contractual amount, that he should pay us the 50 per cent that he was going to pay the artiste that was to headline the show and didn't appear and I will headline the show,” Sizzla said via the post on Instagram.
JACHO Entertainment turned heads last Saturday when it was stated that Kartel, who had pulled out from the festival due to contractual obligations, was being paid US$1.35 million.
“Vybz Kartel was formally contracted to perform at OCMF 2025 for a total sum of US$1.35 million. To date, US$950,000 has been paid directly to the artiste, while an additional US$150,000 was disbursed to his legal representative,” the promoter had explained in a release.
Anderson said that with the headliner no longer set to perform, and a host of refunds on the horizon, there was no way they could meet Sizzla’s demands.
“Whilst I believe Sizzla is worth any price he calls and value him as an esteemed reggae icon and countryman, knowing the financial debt we would be in given Kartel’s non-appearance, I could not in good conscience pay the new price just to have him ‘save the day,’ knowing a significant portion of persons would be asking for refunds after the show,” Anderson said.
However, Sizzla stated in the post that he was not even paid a 50-per-cent downpayment he was contractually entitled to.
“Despite our contract for a 50 per cent down payment, I had started the show with 10 per cent down, which is not acceptable, all because of Trinidad, and you still didn't give us the 50 per cent owed to us even at my arrival at the hotel,” he said.
Adding that even if he were going to perform without the other 50 per cent owed, the promoter didn't get back to him. “We waited and waited and nothing happened; I fell asleep, lol (laugh out loud).”
Despite all this, hope is not lost for fans of the Praise Ye Jah singer, as he will be performing at the Sizzla and Friends concert this Saturday at SoundForge in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
English (US) ·