Rapper The Game is ordered to pay more than $500,000 in damages by an Australian court over his ‘fake’ 2017 tour Down Under
The Federal Court has ordered American rapper The Game to pay more than $500,000 in damages for a ‘fake’ Australian tour in 2017.
Justice Sarah Derrington ruled that the 41-year-old Compton-raised rapper – whose real name is Jayceon Terrell Taylor – and his agent Cash Jones are liable for the seven-city tour being cancelled.
They have been ordered to pay $478,119.73 in damages, plus interest of $78,508.08, and court costs incurred by Australian promoters Tour Squad, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Game over: The Federal Court has ordered American rapper The Game (pictured) to pay more than $500,000 in damages for a ‘fake’ Australian tour in 2017
In 2017, The Game was expected to perform shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
Additional appearances for the rapper at after-parties and additional shows in Canberra and Cairns were also being negotiated at the time.
However, The Game and his entourage withdrew from the tour after Tour Squad rebuffed their request to pay $3.21million for a documentary the rapper and his team wanted to make.
Justice Derrington decried that the majority of the tour negotiations were held over text messages and WhatsApp, with no paper trail regarding the changing agreements.
Ordered: Justice Sarah Derrington ruled that the 41-year-old rapper – whose real name is Jayceon Terrell Taylor – and his agent Cash Jones are liable for the seven-city tour being cancelled. They have been ordered to pay $478,119.73 in damages, plus interest of $78,508.08
Negotiations were hampered by The Game’s fee for each performance, which was initially $32,100 but later increased to $51,340, as well as the rapper’s after-party appearance fee which was $19,250.
In addition to fee changes and the odd documentary request was a diva demand that the rapper bring along a 15-person entourage.
Justice Derrington said the behaviour of all parties involved was inappropriate and that both the complainants, Tour Squad, and representatives for the rapper had made attempts to ‘influence the court’.
No show: In 2017, The Game was expected to perform shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. However, the artist and his entourage withdrew after Tour Squad rebuffed their request to pay $3.21million for a documentary the rapper and his team wanted to make
Justice Derrington noted that Tour Squad’s solicitor, Khalid Tarabay, contacted the judge’s chambers to find out when the judgement would be delivered and tried provide new material.
‘There was a similar attempt by a representative of one or more of the respondents to communicate with and, apparently, to influence the Court,’ she added.
‘This does not lessen the impropriety of Mr Tarabay’s communications and I consider his communications to be a more serious matter as they were made by an Australian legal practitioner.’
This is not the first time The Game has had issues in Australia.
He was refused entry by border officials in 2016 because he did not have the correct visa, which forced the tour to be cancelled.
Past issues: This is not the first time The Game has had issues in Australia. In 2016, he was refused entry by border officials because he did not have the correct visa