50 Cent pulls out of Dubai show

US promoter says American rapper is not, and was never, coming to the UAE for a Ramadan concert.

50 Cent has cancelled his Dubai concert after negotiations collapsed.
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DUBAI // The American rapper 50 Cent will not perform at Dubai's Shoppiesta Festival early next month, organisers said yesterday.

The performance was announced last week and due to fall on the fifth day of the festival, which runs from August 31 to September 4 at Dubai's Meydan Racecourse.

Shoppiesta director Radhesh Menon cited a breakdown in contract negotiations between the festival and a talent agency in the US acting on the artist's behalf.

"We had been liaising with American Talent Agency in the US, who had committed to us for bringing 50 Cent," he said in a statement. "However, in the end, they were not able to deliver on their commitment."

But Mr Menon provided assurance that other celebrities promised for the event, including the Lebanese pop-star, Nancy Ajram, would be performing as planned.

The festival already had Bollywood's Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal cancelling their appearances due to scheduling conflicts. The trio, who star in the upcoming film Ra One, were to perform together under the billed "We R One" concert.

With 50 Cent's exit, the final show will feature the top Bollywood artists Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Malaika Arora Khan, Deepika Padukone, Jacqueline Fernandez and Malaika Arora Khan.