Ja Rule’s Enduring Legacy, Fyre Festival, To Get The Docuseries It Deserves

Few events in recent history have caused more schadenfreude than the complete disaster that was last April’s Fyre Festival.

But even more is on the way, with today’s announcement that a docuseries documenting the festival is in development, set to air on US streaming service Hulu next year.

Hopefully the series will tackle some of the unanswered questions we all have about the Bahamas music festival, which was funded by Ja Rule and a completely loaded 25-year-old entrepreneur, Billy McFarland. Questions such as, “why?”, “how?”, and “wait, what?”.

In case you need a recap, Fyre Festival was billed as the tropical answer to Coachella, an exclusive and luxe weekend held a private island once owned by Pablo Escobar.

It was to be an Insta-ready playground for the rich & famous featuring luxury “geodesic dome” campsites, ‘artisan’ food and a line-up that boasted Blink 182, Disclosure and a fleet of G.O.O.D Music rappers.

As people flew into Great Exuma island (neither private nor once Escobar’s), it became clear nothing was as advertised. Camping sites were unfinished, basic necessities weren’t accessible, food wasn’t up to scratch, and airline issues only further piled onto what can only be described as an utter clusterfuck.

Acts cancelled last minute, citing the issues. Kendall Jenner & other supermodels who had done Fyre Insta #spon were nowhere to be seen. Punters were stranded overnight. Emergency planes were redirected in from Miami.

In the aftermath, a picture began to form – one where McFarland & Ja Rule appeared out of their depth but continued to forge through the flames. Then they burnt up, facing multiple lawsuits, including a USD $100 million class-action lawsuit where lawyers said the festival “was closer to The Hunger Games or Lord of the Flies than Coachella.”

McFarland reportedly also faces up to 40 years in prison after he plead guilty during a federal investigation for “possible mail, wire and securities fraud“.

But still, many questions remain – especially in regard to the festival’s ongoing feud with the Bahamas government.

What wasn’t answered by several stellar long-form articles across the web on the affair will hopefully be touched upon by the yet-unnamed doco.

Co-produced by Cinemart, Billboard, Mic and Hulu, it will gather never-before-seen footage, recordings, leaked documents and more. It’ll also feature interviews with a variety of people involved: local Bahamians, investors, punters and vendors.

We are extremely on board.

Source: Pitchfork

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