Jamaica's government has denied offering to pay Cardi B's performance fees to save a cancelled concert in Kingston, insisting that no public money was committed to the event.

The denial came in a statement issued on Tuesday, 10 November, by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, after the rapper claimed during an Instagram Live broadcast on Monday night that the government had offered to settle the outstanding balance of her fee.

"The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport wishes to make clear to the public that the Government of Jamaica made no commitment or payment towards appearance fees or any fees whatsoever, in relation to a proposed concert in Jamaica which was expected to feature international recording artiste, Cardi B," the ministry stated.

What Cardi B claimed

Cardi B said the government had intervened in negotiations over her cancelled appearance and had offered to pay the rest of what she was owed so the show could go ahead. She said she turned the offer down because the situation had already become "too much" for her.

The rapper had been booked to headline "Cardi B and Friends" at the National Stadium in Kingston. Her representatives confirmed on 8 October that she would no longer perform at the show, which had been scheduled for 18 October.

The promoter dispute

The row centres on a bitter disagreement with Ryan Burke, founder and chief executive of BZR WKND, the company behind the concert. Burke told Jamaica's CVM Television that his company has hired lawyers to recover millions of dollars, claiming Cardi B received her full performance fee and ignored requests for a refund.

Cardi B's account is very different. She says she received a deposit first, and that a second payment meant to cover production was due on 17 September but never arrived. She says the production money only appeared eight or nine days before the show, when costs had doubled, and that a further 750,000 dollars arrived only after she said she was cancelling, which she sent straight back.

"You never sent me 2.5," she said, referring to Burke's claim that she had been paid 2.5 million dollars in full. She has vowed to countersue Burke if he takes legal action, DancehallMag reported, saying: "I'm going to countersue you, and babes, I promise you, you're going to lose, because I have every, every single evidence."

It is still unclear whether Burke has actually filed a lawsuit. Burke and reggae artist Gramps Morgan, who organised the event together, moved the concert to 20 December and offered refunds to ticket holders. Cardi B has denied that weak ticket sales caused her withdrawal, claiming more than 18,000 tickets had been sold.

Recovery comes first, ministry says

The ministry stressed that the proposed concert was strictly a private undertaking. "The event was a private commercial engagement in which the Government was not involved," the statement said.

It also pointed to Jamaica's continuing recovery after Hurricane Melissa, which struck the island in late October. Prime Minister Andrew Holness had already directed that public funds be reallocated towards rebuilding where possible, the ministry said.

"However, the Government is at this time constrained to limit expenditure on events, as the main focus is on prioritising recovery and reconstruction efforts following Hurricane Melissa," the statement added.

The government said it remains committed to supporting Jamaica's entertainment and cultural industries, but made clear that, for now, recovery spending comes first. Cardi B, for her part, has said she loves Jamaica and would happily return to perform if another promoter books her.