Vybz Kartel pulling out of the 2025 staging of the One Caribbean Music Festival in Trinidad and Tobago last Saturday caused a domino effect that left the event without several other international acts. This was how Jacho Entertainment’s founding promoter, Odane Anderson, described the sequences leading up to the failed event.
In a recent interview with ET&T, Anderson broke his silence regarding what happened. He explained why other artistes like Sizzla Kalonji, Malie Donn, Rvssian, and Moliy did not perform following Kartel’s withdrawal.
CHRONIC LAW
Anderson described the situation as “deeply disappointing” for everyone, including his team and the fans who paid to see the exhilarating show that never happened. According to Anderson, patrons were graced with live performances from dancehall artiste Chronic Law and local entertainers from the twin country.
“Chronic Law and his team were the only international act who honoured their agreement and performed despite not being paid in full before hitting the stage,” Anderson said. He commended them for remaining professional and committed.
VYBZ KARTEL
As for the others, they began disappearing when news of Vybz Kartel’s withdrawal hit the internet. He said everyone received deposits between 60% and 95% of their contractual funds. He confirmed that Vybz Kartel received US$950,000 directly through his management team and another US$150,000 sent to his legal team.
The remainder could not be sent in cash before the show due to regulations in Trinidad. Anderson said that Vybz Kartel had pushed his flight to Friday, a day before the event. On that day, Anderson claimed his team had a private jet on standby for the iconic deejay but learnt through an online news report that Vybz Kartel pulled out of the show.
SIZZLA KALONJI
According to Anderson, reggae artist Sizzla Kalonji requested the same payment as Vybz Kartel when Vybz Kartel’s contractual funds were revealed. He and his team said that he should be considered the new headliner, but when Anderson could not agree to this, Sizzla pulled out of the show.
“Their reasoning was also solid, noting that Kartel is on tracks and Sizzla has a full live band, but financially for us, this was simply not something we had planned for or agreed to,” Anderson said.
He added that he knew a significant number of patrons would ask for refunds since Kartel withdrew, which made paying the same amount to Sizzla impossible. Upon Sizzla’s withdrawal, his team released a statement citing a “contractual breach”, but Anderson said he is unaware of any breaches, and he reached out to the reggae artiste’s team to clarify.
RVSSIAN & MALIE DONN
Anderson went on to explain that producer Rvssian was part of Vybz Kartel’s set, so he understood his withdrawal from the event. He added that dancehall artist Malie Donn quietly disappeared after staying far from the unfolding drama.
MOLIY
The Shake It To The Max hit singer reportedly vanished after arriving in Trinidad. Anderson said that his team met her at the airport, and she declined their ride to the hotel to take her own awaiting transportation. The next day, she was reportedly a no-show, and Anderson learnt about her withdrawal from the event when he saw a video of Moliy online saying she was going to dine out rather than perform at the show. However, in a statement, Moliy claimed that the promoter’s team were not in communication with her team, causing her withdrawal.
“For me, that was a huge disrespect to my Trinbagonian people. Though I am Jamaican by birth, I’ve lived much of my life here. This situation is traumatic for all of us, and the video mocked that pain,” he continued.
While he did not disclose how much each artist was paid, Anderson expressed that they were given deposits of what they negotiated, and he did not feel that it should be held against him when they agreed on the figure. He said he had every intention of paying the remaining balance to every artist.