Dancehall artist Bounty Killer and Sumfest could not reach a suitable business arrangement, leading to the cancellation of his Bounty Killer performance, Joe Bogdanovich, CEO of Downsound Records and chairman of Reggae Sumfest, says.
This week, Bounty Killer informed fans that there won’t be a Bounty Killer tribute and that he won’t be performing at the event.
“Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond my control there won’t be no Bounty Killer tribute this year at Sumfest and I won’t be appearing either salute to all the fan’s alliance and allegiances Thank You,” he wrote on his Instagram page.
There were speculations that the issue might have been about money, but the “Down in the Ghetto” artist did not share any further details. In the past, people like Romeich have spoken about how he decided not to have his artists perform at Sumfest because the promoters did not want to pay the total booking fee for the artist.
While speaking to Winford Williams on On Stage, Bogdanovich revealed that there was no agreement with Bounty.
“He was never signed; he was not booked as a signature. He wasn’t booked until he signed the deal, and we come up with an agreement, so we worked on an agreement for a while, and things didn’t work out,” Bogdanovich said.’
He added that Sumfest still loved and respected Bounty. “It’s a business, and you know, everybody gotta be able to make money and do the best they can, and things just didn’t work out. We love him, and you know he’s the general, the five-star general, somebody we’ve worked with for years and years.”
Last month, Bounty Killer first hinted that he was helping to organize a tribute in his honor. He asked his fans to name the artists they would want to see on stage (minus Movado and Vybz Kartel, both experiencing extenuating circumstances).
In the meantime, Reggae Sumfest is celebrating 31 years of operating. The event takes place from July 14-20, 2024.
