Ja Rule not involved in 2nd version of FyreFest, Billy McFarland says he’s ‘not invited’
Ja Rule apparently doesn’t want to revisit the Fyre Festival.
Now that Billy McFarland — the mastermind behind the catastrophic April 2017 event — is out of jail and planning a follow-up, the hip hop superstar says he’s not down with rekindling their working relationship.
“I don’t know nothing about it!” he told People at TuneCore’s 50 Years of Hip Hop event in NYC Thursday. “I don’t know nothing about it. I ain’t in it!”
The 47-year-old “Always On Time” rapper partnered with the convicted entrepreneur to promote the luxury music festival in the Bahamas that turned into the ultimate tourist trap.
Heavily influenced by social media and the celebrities who promoted the event, attendees ready to have some fun in the sun were left stranded on Great Exuma island after arriving to find an incomplete site, cold cheese sandwiches on paper plates, FEMA-style tents for accommodations and very few staff. The luxurious villas and gourmet cuisine they were promised never materialized.
Amid the chaos — which also included cancellations from artists and celebrities such as Migos, Blink-182 and Kendall Jenner — FyreFest organizers canceled the festival.
McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud for his role in defrauding Fyre Festival investors and ticket vendors. The New York City native also pleaded guilty to counts of bank fraud and making false statements to a federal law enforcement agent.
Ja Rule, whose real name is Jeffrey Atkins, always maintained his innocence in the scandal, tweeting in 2019: “I had an amazing vision to create a festival like NO OTHER!!! I would NEVER SCAM or FRAUD anyone what sense does that make???”
“I too was hustled, scammed, bamboozled, hood winked, lead [sic] astray!!!” he added in another tweet.
The Murda Inc. lyricist was cleared of any wrongdoing in the matter, which also entailed a $100 million class-action lawsuit against McFarland and others involved in the infamous event.
On Sunday, McFarland — who was released from prison last March, two years ahead of schedule — announced that he was back in business.
“Fyre Festival II is finally happening,” McFarland tweeted. “Tell me why you should be invited.”
Friday afternoon, McFarland retweeted the news about Ja Rule not wanting to be involved in the second iteration of the festival, writing, “lol. definitely not invited.”
