Beyoncé, is one of the most in-demand artists in the world. She is currently on her Renaissance Tour in the US after selling out audiences in Europe. The last time she performed in Jamaica was 20 years ago at Reggae Sumfest.

Renaissance, the tour is produced by Parkwood but Roc Nation, the company owned by her husband Jay-Z, signs Buju Banton, who had two of the biggest concerts in Jamaica over the last five years. His “Long Walk To Freedom” in 2018, a welcome back concert at the national stadium and on New Years Day he had”Intimate“. Both shows were sold out. Burna Boy’s Love, Damini Caribbean tour brought him to Jamaica to a packed stadium incident free.

With Chris Brown set to headline the National Stadium August 27, Islanders are calling for Beyoncé to bring her “Renaissance Tour” to Jamaica. Renaissance, the album peaked at No. 1 on Apple music Jamaica and several islands in the Caribbean last year.

Even with an active Caribbean Beehive, no dates are set for anywhere in the Caribbean or Latin America for Beyonce.

Here are three reasons why the Queen Bey may be hesitant to perform in Jamaica anytime soon.

“Baby Boy” collaborator Sean Paul recalled when the Destiny’s Child singer and her crew would traverse the Caribbean prior them recording their Billboard chart topping song.

“She had a few hits with Destiny’s Child, and they would do the Caribbean, but we didn’t really hang out. I’d always admired her music and she’s beautiful. So, when I heard Beyoncé was stepping out on her own and wanted me to do a single, I was like “Hell fucking yeah.” I thought it was going to be R&B, but it ended up being dancehall, so that made me go off. That was a bangin’ track, man,” Sean said.

Sean told The Daily Beast however, that shortly after Baby Boy became a hit, Beyonce became distant and they have only performed the track three times.

In 2003, Sean Paul and Beyonce could do no wrong as far as pop culture was concerned, and both of their careers benefitted from the multi-platinum hit as rumors flew around about on their chemistry.

“It was huge. It was nine weeks at No. 1, all over MTV and BET, magazines, everywhere. I had some people who were working with me for years and they were like “Boss—I’m now a fan of yours.” I was like “Now?!” But we had just three performances, and one was at Reggae Sumfest. At the time, we were both on the Rock the Mic Tour. This was 2003. She wasn’t on it every day, but she would come on certain dates and do the song [“Crazy in Love”] with Jay. One day, we left to do the video and then played Sumfest. That was the first time.”

That’s as far as the fortunate parts of the story goes because thereafter the Grammy winner said “strange things” started happening.

“The second time was in L.A., and a strange thing happened—and I think that’s what started the rumors. Strange things started to happen at the performances, which was weird. We went to L.A. and I did my show and then she was performing, and they told me to stick around because we’ll do “Baby Boy.” We do it and I run out there and the crowd goes wild, but after a while it seems like I lost their energy. And it’s weird because I was going wild out there. When the song finished, I came backstage and my own band was all pissed off, like “Man, that’s fucked up. You heard yourself? We couldn’t hear you in the crowd. Your mic was off.” I was like, “How the fuck did that happen?”

Sean said he doesn’t think it was deliberate sabotage, but as the rumors progressed, more things started to happen and he said Beyonce told him they ‘needed to talk’.

That “we need to talk” by Beyonce happened at an MTV event in Scotland Sean said, “The rumors got really crazy. I landed in Scotland and it was this MTV event, and there were paparazzi everywhere. We ended up doing the rehearsal and everything was good, and the performance was going to be where I come up from under the stage, and then we both walk to a big center thing in the middle of the stadium which was surrounded by fire. That all happens, and then it reaches my part—“You’re a top, top, girl”—and the track keeps going, “Baby boy, you stay…” “Baby boy, you stay…” Just repeating. I was like, “What’s going on here!?” She was pissed and was like “I need to speak to you.” So, we go back and talk and she’s like “What’s all these rumors about?” and I’m like “Yo, I’m not saying shit,” and she’s like “These rumors fuck with my career. I just want you to know that.” I was like “They don’t fuck with mine. So, listen: I met Jay before you and we was friends, so me and him should talk. If he feels a way about that, then we should talk, because it’s not coming from me.”

In 2018 Sean told World Music Views  that he thought Jay-Z took shots at him in the song La La La. He attributes the line “Run up on me at the light you will lose you life, need a light” to be a direct shot at him because at the time his biggest hit song was the chart topper “Gimmie The Light”.

Still he says he doesnt think Jay- Z was the force behind the strange series of events that took place in Scotland.

“It couldn’t be because he wasn’t even there. But people started to say this shit.”

2. “Everything Is Love” Lawsuit

Jamaican dancer and artist Dr. L’Antoinette Stines filed a US$75,000 federal copyright infringement lawsuit against Jay-Z and Beyonce for the use of Stines’ voice on the 2018 song “Black Effect,” from the joint album “Everything is Love” without giving her credit or rights to the song.

Jay and Bey vacationed in Jamaica and recorded several music videos while mapping the island’s secret hideaways and cultural hangouts like Trench Town and Portland.

In the lawsuit Stines claims that the spontaneous monologue which she recorded on set, was originally intended for promotional use only, and was used as an interlude in the song without her permission. She believes her voice was violated and is seeking damages for the violation of her right to publicity. Stines is a Jamaican dancer, choreographer, known for her contributions to Caribbean contemporary dance and  L’ACadco Dance Company. Jay-Z and Beyonce never publicly commented on the suit or their use of the interlude but Stines voluntarily dropped the suit in 2021 without prejudice, which means she can re-file the complaint at a later time.

3. Renaissance, Human Rights Vs Jamaican Laws

In January, the former Destiny’s Child lead singer performed at a luxurious resort in Dubai, for an exclusive audience of invited influencers and journalists. The event marked the unofficial opening of the Atlantis the Royal hotel and was dubbed a “once-in-a-lifetime performance,” without specifying the artist, which turned out to be Beyoncé.

She performed a 19-song set, including a collaboration with her daughter Blue Ivy on the live debut of “Brown Skin Girl” from her soundtrack to Disney’s 2019 remake of “The Lion King.”

While a 2023 Beyonce concert features performances about inclusivity, women power and gay rights, when she was in Dubai, she notably omitted any material from “Renaissance,” which pays homage to Black and queer dance music pioneers and communities. Like Jamaica, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), homosexuality is illegal and considered a crime, so her presence in Jamaica singing pro-gay anthems will likely attention from conservative protesters who may wish to use the opportunity to highlight their values.

Additionally, fans have criticized artists for performing in countries with serious human rights violations, such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia. There is yet to be any such protest about artists coming to Jamaica, but over the years dancehall artists going to the US to perform have been met with protestors at venues. A catch 22 for a major artist like Beyonce with fans on both sides of social issues.

Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber faced calls to cancel their Saudi Arabia performances due to similar human rights concerns. Although attendees at Beyoncé’s UAE concert were required to lock their phones in pouches to prevent unauthorized footage, some footage still surfaced online, showing Beyoncé backed by the all-female dance troupe, the Mayyas.