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Ja Rule responded Friday to the chaos surrounding his Fyre Festival, apologizing for the outcome but making clear he'd like everyone to know it's "not my fault."
"We are working on getting everyone of the island SAFE that is my immediate concern,” he tweeted today. “I will make a statement soon. I’m heartbroken at this moment. My partners and I wanted this to be an amazing event. It was NOT A SCAM as everyone is reporting.”
He went on to try to absolve himself of responsibility, while "taking responsibility" but also declaring he's not really at fault. "I don’t know how everything went so left but I’m working to make it right by making sure everyone is refunded,” he said. “I truly apologize as this is NOT MY FAULT … but I’m taking responsibility I’m deeply sorry to everyone who was inconvenienced by this.”
Fyre Festival, which was organized by Ja Rule and tech entrepreneur Billy McFarland, promised a lavish, very elite Bahamas festival for attendees, who were expecting lush bungalows and a one-of-a-kind island experience—some at a hefty $12,000 price tag.
The inaugural event, which was supposed to begin today, has been canceled after attendees arrived yesterday and reported extremely poor lodging conditions, lack of food and a disaster-like setup. As of Friday afternoon, many claimed to still be stranded on-site as scheduled flights were unable to respond to the demand from concertgoers attempting to leave.
Despite the star power promises, Fyre was ill-prepared for its first weekend, which was set to kick off today (Apr. 28). Last night, as concertgoers arrived, they reported unappetizing food, uncomfortable lodging, and a festival space that was incomplete, a stark contrast from the luxurious experience they were sold on. Some paid as high as $12,000. Many are still stranded while festival organizers claim that they are coordinating refunds and flights back home.
In a subsequent statement, Fyre Festival blamed the disastrous outcome on "circumstances out of our control."
"At this time, we are working tirelessly to get flights scheduled and get everyone off of Great Exuma and home safely as quickly as we can," the statement continued. "We ask that guests currently on-island do not make their own arrangements to get to the airport as we are coordinating those plans. We are working to place everyone on complimentary charters back to Miami today; this process has commenced and the safety and comfort of our guests is our top priority."