Spice Says Her Sumfest Fee Should Be Doubled

Reggae Sumfest is back and the Grammy-nominated Queen of Dancehall Spice says the organizers DownSound Entertainment (DSE) ought to double her performance fee, which was agreed upon for the 2020 staging which was canceled due to the pandemic.

The Go Down Deh singer was speaking during a recent Instagram Live, where she asserted that her price has indeed gone up, and recounted her negotiations with DSE CEO, Joe Bogdanovich.

“Suh yuh see when 2022 come now, I said Joe, the price gone up!” she said in a sing-song manner before blurting out a laugh. “Yuh gotta give me more money, Joe! Every ting raise Joe. Mi seh all gas high high, Joe. Yuh nuh see everyting raise. Mi seh Joe between me and yuh, the money double. Memba dat was two years who. That was then, and this is now.”

Spice, whose given name is Grace Hamilton, was slated to be officially crowned “Queen Of Dancehall” in 2020 at Sumfest.  She had performed more than 10 times at the show, and has arguably been the top female dancehall entertainer for most of her two decades in the business.  Her debut album 10 was nominated for Best Reggae Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

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It is uncertain the exact amount DownSound dishes out each year to have the in-demand entertainer at Jamaica’s biggest night in music, but in a 2019 interview with the Gleaner, Spice noted that the majority of her earnings were invested back into her performance.

“I spend so much money on Sumfest preparation that by the time I finish paying out, I’m normally left with no profit, and I do get paid enough. But that goes to show that I don’t have a limit on execution. I go all out on my props and costumes for Sumfest and even though I don’t leave with a profit, I leave with winning my fans’ hearts, and that’s OK for me,” she said at the time.

During her IG Live, Spice said Bogdanovich was reluctant but conceded that the show would be incomplete without her.

“I just said Joe Bogdanovich, the price raise. He said, ‘come on now Spice. You know we got a relationship going…I said ‘Joe, that was then, this is now; the price gone up,’” the So Mi Like It singer continued.

“Joe rich! Joe just back out him money and seh let us do this, cause without you there is no Sumfest y’all gotta know this. People anticipate when I come on stage and say, ‘Yo Jamaica! Bombocl–t! Memba seh a Sumfest buss Blac Chyna was Tyga pum pum. Kylie Jenner use fi har pum pum tek weh Tyga, so Chyna jus’ gi Kylie bredda pum pum. Dem seh me love sing bout mi pum pum—I gotta classy pum pum….”

Reggae Sumfest returns on July 18-23 in Montego Bay, Jamaica with expected performances from Shenseea, Dexta Daps, Jada Kingdom, Jahshii, Intence, Skeng, Nation Boss, Yaksta, Sizzla, Govana, Shaneil Muir, Aidonia, Alkaline, I Waata, 450, and more.

The discussion about prices for artists is always an interesting one each year, as Sumfest inches closer. In 2019, senior producer at DownSound Entertainment, Skatta Burrell revealed to the Star that Romeich Major, principal of Romeich Entertainment asked for $3 million Jamaican dollars for Shenseea, Ding Dong, and former member of his camp, Teejay to perform.

This was, however, was refuted by DSE which was offering between $300,000 – $400,000 for each act, which Major declined.