The organizers of Best of the Best which is usual held in Miami, have pulled the plug on the 2023 staging of the annual event because the entertainers in demand do not have US work permits.
In a statement shared to their official Instagram account, the organizers wrote, “On behalf of the organizers of Best of the Best music fest, we would like to update all our Best of the Best festival goers that we have postponed this year’s staging and will commence on May 26, 2024.”
The organizers of Best of the Best doubled down on their position after a social media user suggested that the event was postponed because Afro Nation, headlined by Burna Boy, Wiz Kid, Mavado, and others was being held around the same time (May 27 & 28).
In their response, Best of the Best revealed that the entertainers who currently have a momentum on the music scene, that festival goers want to see, do not have the required visa, which led to the postponement of the annual event held during Labour Day weekend.
The organisers also stated that if they were to keep the event this year, it would probably look similar to shows within the past two years.
While many people await the new date for Best of the Best in 2024, others ponder what it means for the genre if some of the current popular artists are unable to fly to the United States due to visa woes.
Of the newcomers, Valliant, Jahshii and Skeng, who has a US visa but not a work permit are yet to perform on US soil, while Skillibeng has made his mark.
Meanwhile, Buju Banton, Sizzla, PopCaan, Bounty Killer, and Beenie Man are among the Dancehall heavyweights who do not have US visas.