“Zika Virus hol’ mi.”— the reason Canada rejected a visa application for Beenie Man. Without that visa, he missed his appearance at the seventh annual OVO Fest in Toronto.
Instead of being able to entertain Canadian fans with his classics as scheduled, doctors probed the King of Dancehall with blood tests and signs of the mosquito-borne virus were found plaguing his body.
Drake scheduled Beenie Man for yesterday’s lineup in the four-day festival [Saturday, July 30]. Because OVO Fest fell on the same day as massive Caribbean celebration Caribana in Toronto, Drake wanted to give fans the best of both worlds. OVO hosted a Caribana party with soca phenom Machel Montano at TD Echo Beach. Originally, both Beenie Man and Machel were supposed to headline.
Despite the his absence at OVO Fest, Beenie Man reassured fans that he got Zika, Zika did not get him. “Selassie a guide I n I right through so once mi have life me a give thanks. #Unstoppable,” he posted. We wish the dancehall legend a speedy recovery.
