American rapper ‘The Game’ firmly refused to appear, causing a large-scale refund wave to a mega music festival in Korea

Rapper The Game had reportedly confirmed his appearance at a large-scale music festival in Korea but unilaterally refused to perform just seven days before the performance

As a result, the Korean music festival, which was expected by more than 20,000 audiences, is facing a major crisis.

According to insiders, rapper The Game was named as a headliner at the 2022 Jive Super Live Festival, which was scheduled to be held at Jamsil Main Stadium on Oct 16th, but suddenly expressed through his agency around Oct 9th that he wouldn’t attend the event.

The 2022 Jive Super Live Festival is the last mega music festival in Korea this year, drawing keen attention from music fans. In September, it announced a lineup of Korean rappers including Park Jae-beom, Zico, Tiger JK, Bizzy, and dance crew Holy Bang.

Last month, The Game even promoted the event himself, saying, “I’m going to Jamsil, so get your ticket right now.“

However, The Game suddenly announced that he would not attend the show without giving a clear reason.

In a phone call with SBS reporters, the festival’s organizer, Xive Media & Co., Ltd., said, “With only a week left in Korea, The Game’s agency notified the cancellation of the schedule in a reckless manner. What should we do when the artist is not coming? It is regrettable that many Korean production companies, many artists preparing for this performance, and most of all, the Korean audience who waited for this event, are bound to suffer tremendous losses due to The Game’s sudden cancellation.“

According to the organizer, negotiations for the appearance of The Game were already completed in early August, and the appearance contract was also finalized on September 2nd.

Visa issuance was also completed smoothly as The Game’s agency sent copies of The Game’s passport directly.

The organizer announced that The Game’s agency had unilaterally notified them of The Game’s absence through a text message saying, “He will not be able to appear on October 8th and 9th.”

In fact, looking at the text messages exchanged between the organizer’s agent and The Game’s reps Cathy M. Jones, at the time, The Game’s side said, “Please replace The Game with another artist, BLUE FACE. Otherwise, we will cancel the schedule entirely.“

In response, the organizer responded, “We have signed a legitimate contract. It will cause great confusion and a big social repercussion.” The Game’s side said, “We are not the artist. We’ve already come up with a solution.“

Due to the absence of The Game, the 2022 Jive Super Live Festival had to be postponed until next year.

Jive Media & Co. said, “As the organizer, we will demand legal responsibility and clarification of position through a lawsuit due to the damages caused by the artist. Immediate refund for the inevitable postponement is in progress.“

Sources: daum