US artist DJ Mustard has pulled out of Australia's inaugural Jumanji Festival just hours before the event is to kick off, while also taking a shot at its promoters.
The event is set to commence at 3pm in Melbourne today before moving on to Sydney tomorrow, with acts such as Lil Wayne, Tyga and Wale scheduled to confirm.
"Sorry Australia I was excited to come to Australia and see everyone in Melbourne and Sydney because it's been a while since my last visit, but unfortunately the business behind this show wasn't handled properly in time for me to make it there," DJ Mustard said in a tweet posted this morning.
Sorry Australia I was excited to come to Australia and see everyone in Melbourne and Sydney because it's been a while since my last visit, but unfortunately the business behind this show wasn't handled properly in time for me to make it there. Looking forward to catching you soon
— Mustard (@mustard) March 8, 2018
Organisers hit back at Mustard's comments in a statement issued to Facebook.
"The Promoters are disappointed for the fans that DJ Mustard has decided not to travel to Australia and is confused by his comments and decision to not attend," the statement reads.
"All artists have now arrived in Melbourne and are ready for a great festival this weekend."
The cancellation comes after the festival was criticised for featuring no female acts, which forced organisers to respond to the feedback.
"It was always our intention to provide the best possible line-up of entertainment across both genders and every effort was made to secure both male and female acts for this festival," Jumanji said in a statement given to The Music last month.
"Several high profile international female artists were approached and were either unavailable or not within our budget."
See the full statement below.
The organisers of the Jumanji Festival would firstly like to acknowledge and apologise for the lack of female artists on the festival this year. It was always our intention to provide the best possible line-up of entertainment across both genders and every effort was made to secure both male and female acts for this festival. Several high profile international female artists were approached and were either unavailable or not within our budget. We opted to secure the best possible artists irrespective of gender that appeal to the Australian hip hop audience and we are committed to delivering an amazing experience for our patrons. We have acknowledged the feedback online and will ensure there is a stronger female presence on our festival in 2019.
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