Ja Rule had anticipated on throwing one of the most LIT festivals of the year. But, it all came tumbling down and social media is dragging him for it. Catch up on what went down inside…
Folks are dubbing Ja Rule a scam artist after his inaugural Fyre Festival went down the sh*t hole.
The Fyre Festival, founded by Ja Rule and tech entrepreneur Billy McFarland, was hyped up on social media to be one of the hottest festivals of the year. It was described as a “cultural moment created from a blend of music, art, and food” and it was supposed to be this huge extravaganza that would take over a private island in the Bahamas.
It was supposed to be a fun-filled and relaxing event for rich millenials to enjoy activities like kayaking and yoga on the Islands of the Exumas. The festival was set to run over two weekends like Coachella, but it was nothing of the sort.
Tickets started at $1,000 and went up to $12,000 (some sites reporting even more) and festivalgoers were told they would be partying it up VIP style with celebrities like reality star/model Kylie Jenner and model Bella Hadid. Had they paid attention to the fine print, they may have seen these celebrities were only attached to promote the festival with no contractual obligation to attend.
They were also promised performances by G.O.O.D. Music artists (like Tyga), Migos, Lil Yachty, Blink 182 and more.
Well, when festivalgoers got on the island they quickly learned it wasn’t going to be anything like it had been hyped up to be. Apparently tents were falling over, transportation was provided via a school bus, the food was NOT up to par and they ran out of drinking water.
Here’s what the scene looked like:
So Fyre Fest is a complete disaster. Mass chaos. No organization. No one knows where to go. There are no villas, just a disaster tent city. pic.twitter.com/1lSWtnk7cA
— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) April 27, 2017
Expectation vs. Reality#fyre#fyrefestivalpic.twitter.com/U80NApajxl
— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) April 28, 2017
A view of the luxury food court with some luxury school bus transportation at Fyre Festival. #fyre#fyrefestivalpic.twitter.com/XL3PtRw8q0
— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) April 28, 2017
The dinner that @fyrefestival promised us was catered by Steven Starr is literally bread, cheese, and salad with dressing. #fyrefestivalpic.twitter.com/I8d0UlSNbd
— Tr3vor (@trev4president) April 28, 2017
The line of ex Fyre Festers at the Exuma International Airport. Yes that's throw up. #fyre#fyrefestivalpic.twitter.com/jSZHg0F0Kn
— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) April 28, 2017
It's 3:47 am. Been on the runway over 2 hours. We've had to ration the Chex Mix. Please send help. @Ruleyork#fyre#fyrefestivalpic.twitter.com/K5D1WThWhV
— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) April 28, 2017
Tragic.
One festivalgoer described what it was like when he finally got on the festival grounds, sharing,"The tents had no floors, it was just dirt. No beds and port-a-potties. Everyone's luggage was being held in these 20-foot shipping containers. It got to a point where Billy McFarland was standing on a table in the middle of a field trying to direct people. I had to physically fight my way to the cargo containers to get my luggage, which they had been holding. I then tried getting a hotel room but every hotel was booked out because there is a separate festival going on for locals. So there isn't anywhere else to stay."
Damn.
Twitter was quick to attack when folks at the festival started tweeting out their experiences:
The people who scammed rich people into paying 12K for a tent and a cheese sandwich should be awarded the Medal of Freedom. #FyreFestival
— MikeBrony (@MikeBrony) April 28, 2017
Me when regular people get scammed vs when rich people get scammed #fyrefestivalpic.twitter.com/T30DjX3A0E
— rosechocglam (@MBApioneerz) April 28, 2017
when you hear that rich ppl paid ungodly sums to party on a private island... and then almost had to eat each other to survive #fyrefestivalpic.twitter.com/aDyVA7zpyv
— Anchorage DSA (@AnchorageDSA) April 28, 2017
After the social media backlash, Fyre Festival took to their official Twitter account to call off the festival:
Due to unforeseen and extenuating circumstances, Fyre Festival has been fully postponed (con't)
— Fyre Festival (@fyrefestival) April 28, 2017
After assessing the situation this morning and looking at best options for our guests, we cannot move forward as we hoped we could (con't)
— Fyre Festival (@fyrefestival) April 28, 2017
At this time, we are working tirelessly to get flights scheduled and get all travelers home safely
— Fyre Festival (@fyrefestival) April 28, 2017
Ja Rule even took to his Twitter to apologize to everyone:
— Ja Rule (@Ruleyork) April 28, 2017
What a train wreck.
Well, we've learned a lesson here. Don't believe everything you see on Instagram.
Photo: Getty