Flo Rida: Canceled Gigs, Drug Bust

The rapper was scheduled to play before 13,000 at 5:10 p.m. at the Fat As Butter festival in Newcastle, about two hours from Sydney.

Promoter Brent Lean said he was advised about 3 p.m. that the performer would be delayed as he sorted out an accommodations issue.

At 4:45 he was informed the appearance was canceled.

“All of us at Fat As Butter are obviously devastated by his no-show, following months of planning and payment of his fee in full, and feel gutted about the disappointment this has caused to his fans who were primed for his performance,” Lean said.

A show at Sydney club Mounties that night was also canceled.

The club said the rapper arrived three hours late and “we did not believe he was in a suitable condition to perform.”

The next day, Flo Rida flew to Townsville, Queensland, where he performed at Jupiters Hotel and Casino’s pool party to 1,700 fans.

During his performance, undercover cops raided the hotel’s 19th floor where his 11-strong entourage stayed, investigating the “strong smell of burnt cannabis” wafting down the hallway.

Flo Rida’s “personal assistant” Dakari Dalawn Phillips was arrested and detained for 14 hours.

He faced drugs and weapons charges – police prosecutor Colleen Wainwright said they found cannabis and an Uzi taser – and fined A$1,800 (US$1,850) without a conviction.