After days of growing backlash across social media, star rapper Ludacris bowed out Friday from a country music festival critics have described as "MAGA-adjacent," following confusion and outrage over his inclusion on a tour led by Kid Rock and Jason Aldean.
The festival, first launched in 2024 and described by The New York Times as “a vision of the MAGA movement in pure party mode,” with shows that “felt like Trump rallies,” announced its lineup Monday. It features names like Creed, Shinedown, Nelly, Brantley Gilbert and Gavin Adcock. Ludacris was listed on promotional posters – until he was quietly removed Friday, as first reported by Rolling Stone.
A representative for the Rock The Country tour told Rolling Stone that Ludacris was no longer on the list of artists and referred questions to the Atlanta rapper’s team. A spokesperson for Ludacris said his inclusion was the result of “a mix-up.”
“Lines got crossed and he wasn’t supposed to be on there,” the spokesperson told the music outlet.
Fans, however, were quick to react, with many social media users questioning why Ludacris would sign onto a tour that, while not “explicitly a political event,” is still closely associated with conservative politics and President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement, Rolling Stone noted.
“I really thought this was a joke. It’s not,” X user @mymaria_m wrote.
“Nooooo…. Not you @Ludacris,” another X user, @Ahreeahnah, told their followers. “Tell me they put your name on here without you knowing it.”
“Ludacris, Nelly, Snoop Dogg. All MAGA clowns and the if the Black community was serious, they would boycott & hit their pockets,” @JordanSumbu wrote on X.
While Ludacris is no longer scheduled to hit the eight-city tour across the United States beginning in Texas in May, it’ll still include stars like Jelly Roll and Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Brooks & Dunn, Riley Green, Hank Williams Jr., Ella Langley, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Nelly will also remain on this year’s tour.