Cardi B apologizes to Jamaican government amid ongoing BZR Weekend dispute

Cardi B's agent, Mike "Mike G" Guirguis, has publicly disputed claims that the Grammy-winning rapper received her full performance fee for BZR Weekend in Jamaica, as the ongoing dispute between the artist and event organizers continues to escalate.

Guirguis, a partner at United Talent Agency (UTA), took to X on Tuesday night to challenge claims by BZR Weekend founder and CEO Ryan Burke that the rapper had been paid US$2.5 million for her scheduled October 18 performance.

“Here’s the truth. @iamcardib never received her full fee for the Jamaica show, and the promoter failed to meet multiple obligations under the agreement. Any claim that she was paid in full is false. Her fans in Jamaica deserve transparency and accountability,” Guirguis wrote.

His statement came as Cardi B addressed the controversy in another Instagram Live session Tuesday night, apologizing to the Jamaican government after previously claiming that officials had offered to cover outstanding costs associated with the concert.

The rapper said she had been misled about the government's involvement and financial investment in the event, but maintained that Burke should also apologize for allegedly misrepresenting the situation.

Cardi B claimed she had text messages and an email supporting her account and threatened to release them publicly.

The latest developments follow statements from both the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and BZR Weekend denying that the government had provided or promised any financial assistance for the event.

"The event was a private commercial engagement in which the Government was not involved," Culture and Entertainment Minister Olivia Grange said in a statement Tuesday.

BZR Weekend also rejected the rapper's earlier claims, maintaining that the concert was independently organized and financed.

"We would like to clarify that BZR Weekend did not receive any financial assistance or funding from the government of Jamaica or the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, nor was any such funding ever promised or agreed upon, contrary to the false claims made by Cardi B," organizers said.

The company also insisted that Cardi B's full performance fee had been paid through independent funding.

However, the rapper continues to dispute that account, maintaining that she received US$900,000 and that a subsequent payment was delayed beyond the agreed September 17 deadline, disrupting production arrangements.

She also claimed that she received an additional US$750,000 after announcing her withdrawal from the October 18 concert but returned the money.

During Tuesday's livestream, Cardi B insisted that she would not return the initial deposit, arguing that the organizers had breached their contractual obligations.

“I'm not giving back the deposit money. If you do an appointment with somebody and you give them the deposit money, and for some reason it's cancelled or whatever, the deposit don't go back,” she said.

The rapper maintained that the dispute centered on the organizers' failure to meet payment deadlines and other contractual requirements.

“I don't even need my big super lawyers for this lawsuit, I could get a public defender ... because it's [on] paper that you breached contract,” she said.

Cardi B also rejected suggestions that her decision to withdraw from the concert was connected to her grandfather's death, describing the implication as “distasteful”.

She insisted that her withdrawal resulted from delayed production payments and what she described as unprofessional conduct by the organizers.

Burke, meanwhile, previously told CVM Television that BZR Weekend had fulfilled its financial obligations to the rapper and had retained legal counsel to pursue a lawsuit seeking to recover the US$2.5 million he claimed was paid, along with additional damages stemming from the canceled performance.

In its latest statement, BZR Weekend urged the public to avoid speculation and allow the legal process to proceed.

"We firmly believe in the rule of law and the importance of allowing facts and evidence to speak for themselves. We respectfully urge the public to refrain from drawing conclusions based on unverified statements or speculation and to allow the appropriate legal process to take its course," organizers said.

Despite the controversy, Burke said plans for BZR Weekend's rescheduled December 20 staging remain underway.

“It's not off, but we are, as I've mentioned, we're back at the drawing board trying to come back better, bigger, stronger,” he said.

He also assured ticket holders that refunds were being processed, acknowledging that the high volume of requests had caused delays but maintaining that all eligible patrons would be reimbursed.