Update: Nas Speaks Up About Newfoundland No-Show, Puts Blame on "Janky Promoters"
Published Jun 01, 2009
Nas has spoken up about his recent no-show in Newfoundland, putting all the blame on the promoters and their "1950-style ways of doin' business."
In a new blog posting on Global Grind, the NYC rapper said that he refused to take the stage Thursday night (May 28) at the Jack Byrne Arena in Torbay Newfoundland after he discovered promoters ODC Productions did not have enough money to pay his $47,000 fee.
As previously reported, the no-show caused quite the uproar among the crowd of about 700, forcing organizers to call in police after the understandably choked concertgoers became too unruly for security to handle.
"Bad business is bad business," Nas wrote in his blog entry. "After three hours at customs and once I finally get to them I'm told they have a insufficient amount of money. Now, I don't usually leave my crib unless all the business is handled first. But I love my fans in Canada so I said cool. But of course it wasn't cool."
According to a CBC report, Nas was forced to hang tight at St. John's International Airport after finding out he wouldn't be getting paid in full and that his hotel rooms had been cancelled.
Craig Cantwell of ODC Productions told CBC that his company had paid Nas about half his fee, and that he thought Halifax-based Lux Entertainment had paid the rest. However, Cantwell said he learned Lux didn't have the cash available to pay Nas, nor did the company pay for return air tickets for the show's opener, Kardinal Offishall.
"My advice to wanna be promoters anywhere they are: Take business serious. Learn about being professional. Always," Nas wrote. "It's very important to be real with people. Don't continue to pull these 1950 style ways of doin business. It's wack."