Wild West Music Fest in Maricopa dumps Sean Kingston after fraud conviction

Baby Bash will now perform on the opening night of the festival on Friday.

April 3, 2025

Image: Multiplatinum reggae artist and rapper Sean Kingston.

Multiplatinum reggae artist and rapper Sean Kingston. Steve LeVine Entertainment

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Promoters of this weekend’s Wild West Music Fest in Maricopa have dropped reggae artist and rapper Sean Kingston as a headliner in the wake of his recent fraud conviction in Florida.

On Tuesday, the City of Maricopa and Scottsdale-based Steve LeVine Entertainment announced that Kingston, who was originally set to perform Friday at the three-day festival, will be replaced by rapper Baby Bash.

The news comes days after Kingston — the multiplatinum recording artist best known for the late 2000s hits “Beautiful Girls” and “Take You There” — and his mother, Janice Turner, were found guilty on five counts of wire fraud by jury in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on March 28.

Federal prosecutors in Florida accused Kingston and Turner of using his celebrity status to orchestrate a scheme that defrauded sellers of $1 million in luxury cars, jewelry, a 232-inch TV and other high-end goods purchased with the use fraudulent documents. In May 2024, law enforcement officials raided Kingston’s South Florida mansion in connection with the case.
Turner was taken into custody following the verdict while Kingston was placed on immediate house arrest and electronic monitoring until sentencing. Both face a maximum of 20 years in prison on each count, according to federal prosecutors. They’re scheduled to be sentenced in July, according to NBC News.

The judge in the case rejected Kingston’s request to travel for a scheduled performance in Texas.

The Wild West Music Fest is scheduled to take place from Friday, April 4 to Sunday, April 6 at Copper Sky Regional Park in Maricopa. Country recording artist LeAnn Rimes and rapper Twista are also set to headline the festival.

Phoenix artists scheduled to perform include singer-songwriter Harry Luge, country band the Kruse Brothers, reggae-rockers the Hourglass Cats and costumed tribute act Yachtzilla. Daily general admission is $5 to $15.

Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where he focuses primarily on arts, culture, music and nightlife. He joined New Times in 2003. Prior to that, he contributed to magazines such as Tips & Tricks and The Wrestler. Benjamin has earned multiple awards from the Arizona Press Club including an award for sports enterprise reporting in 2009 and an award for statewide arts reporting in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

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