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Woodstock 50: Festival will be 'free' amid reports headliner Jay-Z has pulled out
Tickets to the embattled Woodstock 50 festival will now be free, according to the operator of the site where it is due to take place. A spokesperson for the Merriweather Post Pavillion told Pitchfork: “That was the last thing we heard too. “We’re still waiting to hear who is playing, but that’s not our job. They do still have a venue if they have a show.”TMZ also reports that the event is now being billed as a benefit concert, during which attendees are encouraged to donate to charity.Woodstock 50, which was announced as a celebration of the original, historic festival, has faced numerous setbacks including investors who dropped out, the loss of their original venue, and reports of several of its major performers pulling out.According to a recent report by Billboard, Woodstock 50 organisers have formally released all artists scheduled to play from their contracts after moving from the original site.Earlier this week, Jay-Z, Dead & Company, and John Fogerty reportedly pulled out of the event. Woodstock 50 organisers have repeatedly insisted that the festival will proceed on its scheduled dates of August 16-18.
The world’s richest rap artists have been announced by Forbes – with Dr Dre, Diddy, Kanye West and Drake making the list, and Jay Z taking the top ranking.
Forbes's list predicts who will be next to hit the billion mark after Jay Z, who made history last week after being named the first rapper to become a billionaire.
His fortune now "conservatively tops $1bn" (£792m).
Dr Dre's fortune clocks in at $800m (£630m) despite previous reports that he would hit the billionaire mark first after selling Beats by Dre to Apple.
Jay Z’s former protégé Kanye West takes fourth place with an estimated $240m (£190m), thanks in part to his Yeezy Adidas line
Drake's entry to the list is particularly impressive; he's younger than all of the other rappers by at least ten years. The Canadian musician ranks fifth at $150m (£118m) at just 32 years old.