Rolling Loud: Kanye West Cancels Performance But Shows up for Guest Spot Anyway

By Michael Hein - July 24, 2022 09:37 pm EDT

Kanye West had one of his most dramatic weekends in months this weekend during the Rolling Loud music festival in Miami, Florida. The rapper was originally scheduled to headline the festival on Friday night, but he dropped out less than a week ahead of time. He then showed up anyway in a surprise appearance that had everyone shocked and some fans furious.

West was originally scheduled to headline Rolling Loud on Friday night but he dropped out without any explanation. According to a report by Billboard, the festival organizers said that West "decided" not to perform, and they were deeply disappointed. At the same time, Kid Cudi was announced as his replacement. West and Cudi have been at odds recently since Cudi is friendly with Pete Davidson, who is dating West's ex-wife Kim Kardashian.

So you're telling me that Kanye "pulled out" of rolling loud 4 days before. Got replaced by Kid Cudi, Kid Cudi got booed off stage and then Kanye showed up anyways to Durk's set anyways and immediately performed one of the biggest song he has with Cudi's chorus. Jesus Christ. https://t.co/2NTAG5R3um
— . (@_VYGRR) July 23, 2022

All of this conspired to create an awkward situation for Cudi on stage on Friday night, but the oddities didn't end there. While Cudi was performing on the stage that West should have been occupying, Lil Durk was performing on another stage nearby on the festival grounds. Bizarrely, West made a surprise appearance and joined Durk on stage to perform his 2016 song "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1."

All in all, the spectacle left many fans angry at West and confused about his decisions at every step of this performance. Here's a look at what fans are saying about this whole fiasco.

Who's to Blame?

NIGGA that's like calling in sick to work then showing up later in the day after you were scheduled because you remembered it was one of your coworkers birthdays and they're doing an in office party, shut the fuck
— weiskilliams (@nomadikoslykos) July 23, 2022

Many commenters questioned who should be blamed for all the bad blood at Rolling Loud. Some thought that West should take responsibility for the actions of the crowd considering that his public spat with Cudi may have influenced some of their behavior.

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Lovable Kid Cudi

That’s what I’m sayin, right before this beef with Ye mfs was talking about how him and Mac were the two most loved artists on Twitter
— DingDong (@DepressedDick0) July 23, 2022

Some people were particularly baffled at the sudden surge in dislike for Cudi. They pointed out that the rapper has been beloved by fans and colleagues for years without much incident at all.

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Influence

As soon as Kanye made that unprovoked beef public for no reason at all I just knew this would get out of hand. These new Kanye fans are so unhinged with the way the ride for everything he does
— daboyzack (@ZChiduChin) July 23, 2022

Dude I think as humans we underestimate Kanye’s influence. Bro’s so influential it’s crazy
— MALOME PAPI (@murphygee5) July 23, 2022

Many people -- including fans -- felt like this situation illustrated the incredible power of West's influence. As a celebrity and a musician, they felt like West wielded a surprising amount of power over his devoted fans that shouldn't be taken lightly.

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Homelander

kanye fr homelander if you think about it. Replacing his old girl with a replica. calling himself god. running for president. doing anything to see his kids😭
— ˢᵃᶜʳⁱᶠⁱᶜᵉᵗʰᵉˡᵃᵐᵇ (@2Fadxd) July 23, 2022

Fans wasted no time in applying the new meme format from The Boys to West, and some felt that it fit surprisingly well. Before long, critics were using the sociopathic character Homelander as an analogy for West's personal life.

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Setup

Lmao Kanye set him up 😭
— HAV🏁 (@HAV313) July 23, 2022

Some fans went so far as to suggest that West had set Cudi up for this situation on purpose.

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Reaction Memes

Kid cudi when he saw lil durk bring out Kanye west on rolling loud stage pic.twitter.com/pYyeHkVciF
— They Want Me Dead Like Pac (@KingMosesDaGod) July 23, 2022

Fans had fun imagining hyperbolic reactions Cudi might have had when he learned that West had shown up at the festival after all.

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Mental Health

It’s crazy to me when Kanye west fans used Kanye’s mental health as a shield when he would do terrible things but then turn around and do this to @KiDCuDi when he’s done absolutely nothing wrong https://t.co/vdqMVolyOX
— StarFireOnYouHoes (@Breanna1537) July 23, 2022

Finally, many fans pointed out that West and Cudi are both artists who have been praised for speaking openly about their mental health struggles over the years, yet they have handled situations like this completely differently.

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