Kanye West abruptly pulls out of Rolling Loud Miami. His replacement is a former protégé
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, will no longer headline Rolling Loud Miami.
Kid Cudi is set to replace Ye as the opening night headliner when the three-day festival kicks off Friday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, according to Rolling Loud organizers.
“Unfortunately, Ye has decided that he will no longer be performing,” Rolling Loud co-founders Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler said in a joint statement. “This is the first time a headliner has ever pulled off our show and though we don’t take it lightly, we wish him the best.”
It’s unclear why Ye pulled out of the show. Representatives for Ye have yet to respond to a request for comment. Under Rolling Loud’s Instagram post revealing the new lineup, Cherif commented that he and others tried to convince Ye to stay on the lineup but the “All of the Lights” artist “wasn’t having it.” Cudi, who used to be signed to Ye’s G.O.O.D. Music label, wasn’t confirmed as a replacement until Saturday night, according to festival organizers.
The relationship between Ye and Rolling Loud dates back to December 2021 when he joined forces with Future on stage at the festival’s California iteration. Rolling Loud also helped promote Ye’s ”Donda 2” Experience at loanDepot Park in Miami.
It’s now the second time this year that Ye has unexpectedly pulled out of headlining a set. In April, Ye abruptly dropped out of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. His Grammy Awards performance was also canceled due to “concerning online behavior,” according to USA Today.
Rolling Loud’s pivot to Cudi comes at a time when he and Ye’s relationship is rather strained. The former friends and frequent collaborators have butted heads on social media since February when Ye called out Cudi over his friendship with Pete Davidson, who’s dating the Chicago artist’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian. Most recently, Cudi took to Twitter in April to share that Pusha T’s “Rock N Roll” will be the last time he and Ye would appear on the same track.
“I am not cool w that man,” Cudi wrote. “He’s not my friend and I only cleared the song for Pusha cuz thats my guy. This is the last song u will hear me on w Kanye.”
Cudi will now join Future and Kendrick Lamar as headliners on one of Rolling Loud’s most anticipated lineups to date. Other performers include Lil Baby, City Girls and 2 Chainz.
This story was originally published July 17, 2022 at 3:32 PM.
