Source: Theo Wargo / Getty
Ja Rule wants nothing to do with Fyre Fest 2. He made that clear after it was announced that Fyre Fest founder Billy McFarland is going to do it again. Yes, there will apparently be another fest, even though McFarland was outed as a scammer and sentenced to six years in prison for wire fraud in 2018.
McFarland, now 31, was granted compassionate release in 2022 amid the COVID-19 pandemic due to pre-existing health conditions, including asthma, severe allergies and a heart condition. So now he’s out of jail and planning a second Fest even though the first one failed so spectacularly, it inspired not one but two, documentaries.
“Fyre Fest II is finally happening,” he tweeted. “Tell me why you should be invited.”
https://twitter.com/pyrtbilly/status/1645215767552729088
Ja Rule, born Jeffery Atkins, was McFarland’s partner in the failed Fest. He avoided jail time due to being more of a celebrity endorser than anyone who planned and staged the festival. That was all McFarland, the same man, who while out on bail, sold $100,000 in fake tickets promising exclusive access to real events.
No wonder Rule wants no parts.
“I don’t know nothing about it,” Atkins told People at TuneCore’s 50 Years of Hip Hop event in New York last week. “I don’t know nothing about it. I ain’t in it!”
If you haven’t seen either doc, FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened on Netflix or Hulu’s Fyre Fraud, in 2017, McFarland and Atkins promised a star-studded music festival on Great Exuma island in the Bahamas.
Migos, Pusha T and Blink-182 were supposed to perform. Celebrity influencers like Kendall Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski and Bella Hadid promoted the event on social media using a glossy orange square, and several big names shot a gorgeous drone-filmed promo.
But people who paid thousands to attend expecting A-list performances and luxury accommodations were instead met with an ill-planned, poorly-run event that imploded when stars refused to show up, and nothing on the island was ready for the crowds that came.
Festivalgoers ended up camping in disaster relief tents with nothing but little cheese sandwiches to eat. And many were left stranded when transportation broke down. Furious, they documented it all on social media.
McFarland still owes the people he defrauded $26 million and told his Twitter followers he needed to work to make good on his debt.
And he took a swipe at Rule through a response to his original question.
“Because I’m not Ja Rule,” someone replied.
“You’re in,” McFarland said.
After seeing Atkins’ response, McFarland said Ja Rule wouldn’t be invited to Frye Fest 2.
https://twitter.com/pyrtbilly/status/1646966072615096341
McFarland doubled down on his initial ask, tweeting that Fyre Fest 2 has zero marketing spent but is generating “more interest than last time.” He thoughtfully provided an email address in case anyone feels so inclined to sign up for info. Just remember that McFarland was also convicted of using an employee’s bank account fraudulently to try to conceal his crimes.
https://twitter.com/pyrtbilly/status/1647999484830396418
