Days after Ludacris drew criticism and jokes online for his participation in a seemingly MAGA-leaning concert series, the Atlanta rapper has pulled out of the festival. His team is claiming that he was never supposed to be included in the event, a story that is drawing mixed reactions online.
Ludacris pulls out of festival, citing ‘mix-up’ for initial inclusion
Just days after Ludacris was announced as one of the artists to appear in this year’s Rock the Country concert series, Rolling Stone reported Friday that the rapper apparently pulled out of the event. A representative for Rock the Country confirmed that Ludacris was no longer one of the artists appearing in this year’s concert series, and referred the magazine to Ludacris’ team for more details. A representative for Ludacris confirmed that he was not participating in the event, calling his initial inclusion in the festival “a mix-up” and saying that “lines got crossed, and he wasn’t supposed to be on there.”
As Blavity previously reported, Ludacris and Nelly were the two major rap artists scheduled to appear at the festival alongside country and rock acts such as Trump-supporter Kid Rock, who founded the festival in 2024. Ludacris had been scheduled to appear at two of the series eight shows, in Anderson, South Carolina, and Ocala, Florida. As of Friday afternoon, Ludacris’ name had been removed from the promotional material on the concert series’ website and in recent social media posts, while Nelly remained on the list of scheduled artists.
Mixed reactions to Ludacris’ announcement
Ludacris had been roasted online since his inclusion was announced Monday, and online reaction to him pulling out of the festival have been mixed. “Y’all owe @Ludacris an apology,” posted Isaac Hayes III, whose father’s music has been sampled on several of Ludacris’ songs. “And make it as LOUD as them videos y’all posted.”
Others were skeptical of the explanation given by Ludacris’ team. “There was no mix up,” read one post on X. “He was getting dragged through these social media streets for agreeing to perform at that festival. Nice try! smh.”
Some were willing to forgive Ludacris. “He did the right thing. Give him that much,” read another post.
Others were less forgiving. “Excuse is Right up there with ya account being hacked,” one poster said. “Mega side eyeing him.”
“He might as well go ahead and perform, ain’t nobody finna forget this,” read another comment.
Others noticed that Nelly, who weathered criticism for performing at a Trump inauguration event in 2025, was still set to perform. “I see Nelly still on some BS!” one poster wrote on X.
While Nelly still seems to be on board with the Rock the Country festival, Ludacris appears to be trying to distance himself from the MAGA-infused series while claiming that he never intended to be connected to it in the first place. It remains to be seen if his fans will accept his explanation for being included at all, or whether he will continue to face blowback for being on the pro-Trump lineup.