Sizzla Kalonji has responded to a Trinidad promoter’s claims that he demanded to be paid the same fee as Vybz Kartel.

The reggae and dancehall legend was among the slew of Jamaican artists on the lineup for the failed One Caribbean Music Festival in Trinidad that saw Vybz Kartel pulling out of the event. The promoter, Odane Anderson, of Jacho Entertainment, has since responded to the backlash from the artists and their fans who demanded a refund.

The promoter also alleges that Sizzla demanded he be paid the same amount as the headlining act Vybz Kartel, who was reportedly contracted for a fee of US$1.35 million. Sizzla and his team are now refuting that claim, calling it a “blatant lie.”

On Friday (June 6), Sizzla shared a statement on his Instagram page outlining his side of the story.

“We simply said to the promoter in a meeting, when he still didn’t offer to pay us the 50 per cent of our original contractual amount, that he should pay us the 50 per cent that he was going to pay the artiste that was to headline the show and didn’t appear and I will headline the show,” the statement reads.

Sizzla continued, “Despite our contract for a 50 per cent down payment, I had started the show with 10 per cent down, which is not acceptable, all because of Trinidad, and you still didn’t give us the 50 per cent owed to us even at my arrival at the hotel.”

Sizzla says despite what was happening behind the scenes, he was ready to perform at the show, but the promoter didn’t give him the green light.

“Despite all what took place I genuinely think the promoter and sponsors did a very good job, its just that the headliner didn’t appear,” the singer wrote. “We sat in the hotel room waiting on the promoter to get back to us after the meeting and he didn’t, they left us standing there.”

“So even if I was going to do the show with out the other 50% owed to us, the promoter didn’t get back to us the whole night, we waited and waited and nothing happened. I fell asleep, lol,” he added.

Vybz Kartel stated that he didn’t perform at the event because of contractual breaches and blamed the promoter for packing things on his itinerary that had nothing to do with his performance. He also refuted claims that he had issues with the Trinidad government, why he didn’t perform.