Promoter Denies Wrongdoing In Praise Break 2025 Payment Dispute

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – It was meant to be a night of praise and worship at “Praise Break 2025,” featuring gospel legend Shirley Caesar and other talented artists. However, one headliner never took the stage.

Bri Babineaux, one of the scheduled performers at the Nassau Cruise Port on Saturday night, was unable to perform due to an unpaid balance of $4,000 USD.

Her husband, Emanuel Lambert, explained that while the event organizers provided an envelope with the payment, it wasn’t in U.S. dollars, which they were expecting. He said, “He shows us this envelope with the $4,000, but he just wanted to show face. He says, ‘We don’t have a money problem,’ but I replied, ‘You actually do have a money problem because this doesn’t work for us.'”

Event organizer Reverend Joel Johnson of Humble Child Entertainment, who is no stranger to organizing events, confirmed the full amount was offered in Bahamian dollars, but stated the contract didn’t specify the currency.

JOEL JOHNSON – ORGANIZER, HUMBLE CHILD ENTERTAINMENT
“The contract did not specify what type of currency should be used. I was offering it in good faith, operating contractually on my end.”

Our News obtained a text conversation between Lambert and the event promoter, where Lambert claims the payment was repeatedly delayed, with promises changing throughout the day. By showtime, no payment was made, and Bri was left with no choice but to skip her performance.

EMANUEL LAMBERT – HUSBAND, BRI BABINEAUX
“All the banks were closed. There was one bank across the island, and I hoped to make it there in time. But if I couldn’t, there was no way to exchange the money. At that point, we were frustrated, if we couldn’t get paid, there would be no performance.”

While Johnson declined to address some of the event’s operational delays, he emphasized that the night was spiritually uplifting, highlighting Shirley Caesar’s performance and what he described as a “move of God” in the audience.

JOEL JOHNSON – ORGANIZER, HUMBLE CHILD ENTERTAINMENT
“When we looked at the sky that morning, it was only by the grace of God that we even had the event. The rain cleared up, and God performed a miracle for us.”

We reached out to the other scheduled artists for comment but did not receive a response by news time.