Details emerged on August 6, 2026, showing that despite Ice Spice canceling her performance at Eastern Kentucky University, she still pocketed a $68,000 payout due to cancellation terms in her $275,000 contract. EKU documents obtained via FOIA show the university booked her for a spring concert in April but she canceled 10 days prior due to “scheduling conflict.”
The $275K contract included a 25% non-refundable kill fee, meaning Ice Spice kept $68,750 even without performing. EKU student government said they attempted to book Sexyy Red as a replacement but were denied funds after paying the fee. The university still had to refund 3,200 student tickets at $45 each, losing over $144K total.
The payout has sparked debate on campus about artist booking fees, with students calling for more accountability. Ice Spice’s team said the cancellation was due to a Rolling Loud conflict and that the fee was standard industry practice. She is currently on tour for her debut album Y2K! which debuted at #18 on Billboard 200.
