Dancehall star Vybz Kartel is facing a civil lawsuit in Trinidad over his cancelled performance at the One Caribbean Music Festival last May. The event’s promotion company, Jacho Entertainment Limited, has taken legal action and is seeking millions after what they described as a breach of contract.
Kartel, the headlining act, unexpectedly cancelled his set, citing unpaid booking fees. However, the promoter contends that most of the payment had already been transferred to the deejay by the day of the show. The event was originally scheduled for February before it was pushed to May 31.
On that day, the promotion company alleges that Vybz Kartel refused to board his flight to Trinidad, despite having received approximately 81% of his performance fee. According to the contract, which was signed in late 2024, the deejay was to receive US$1.35 million across four instalments.
The promotion company is now asking the court for more than TT$7.3 million in damages, as well as the repayment of over US$1 million, which they say was already paid. In addition, the lawsuit requests an injunction to stop Kartel from making any further statements that could damage the company’s reputation.
The company cited reputational damage from Kartel’s initial statement about his withdrawal. Kartel claimed mismanagement played a role in the cancelled show, which the company disputes. The deejay’s statement was made on social media after he reportedly did not receive US$250,000, the balance of his performance fee.
However, the company said its contractual agreement with Kartel did not require a full payment in advance. The agreement also reportedly says Kartel needs to issue a formal written notice to cancel the show, which they say he breached when he abruptly withdrew and posted it on social media.
According to the company, the effects of Kartel’s withdrawal left the event suffering a major financial blow, including ticket refunds. They said organisers were left counting their losses after the sudden scramble to adjust festival operations.
Kartel has not issued a public statement about the lawsuit.