Lil Wayne Booked for BET Awards Despite Recent Concert No-Shows

After having to pull out of other scheduled major performances, Lil Wayne will perform at the 2022 BET Awards, scheduled to air live on Sunday, June 26. It’s a long-awaited show for the rapper’s fans, having canceled previous gigs on the day of sets in recent weeks. Wayne was scheduled to perform at the 2022 Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis in May. But an hour before the “A Milli” rapper was set to go on, the festival announced on Facebook that he would not be performing. “Due to circumstances beyond the control of the artist or the festival, Lil Wayne was not able to travel to Memphis this evening and will not perform tonight. Unfortunately, there were mechanical problems with the jet and he was not able to make it to Memphis,” the Beale Street Music Festival organizers wrote in their Facebook post at the time. It would be another 30 minutes before the news was shared on Twitter for other attendees.

Other performers include Babyface, Chance The Rapper, Chlöe, Doechii, Ella Mai, Fireboy DML, GIVĒON, Jack Harlow, Joey Bada$$, Maverick City Music x Kirk Franklin, Latto, Lizzo, Muni Long, and Roddy Ricch. Outside of the main stage, GoGo Morrow and OGI will be hitting the BET Amplified Stage.

Weeks later, he was pulled from the lineup at a festival in the U.K. It was supposed to be his first performance in the UK in 14 years at the Strawberries & Creem festival. As it turns out, he was pulled due to being banned from the country due to his criminal record. Rolling Stone reported that he was denied entry “directly by the Home Office in a last-minute decision,” event organizers announced Weds. June 15. “We are deeply disappointed by this sudden and negative ruling,” Strawberries & Creem organizers said in a statement at the time. “We have received very minimal notice, and the timing of the decision is, of course, upsetting for all involved.”

Regarding the legal situation, they elaborated on the difficult decision. “Any individual who has been sentenced to a custodial sentence of 12 months or more must have their application refused.” Wayne was sentenced to one-year for weapons charges stemming from his arrest in July 2007. He was released after 8 months in prison due to good behavior.

Before that, Wayne backed out of a scheduled performance at the Governor’s Ball hours before taking the stage. The reason was said to be due to flight issues.