The Rolling Loud music festival kicked off dramatically on Friday night when Kid Cudi stormed off stage. A viral video from the audience showed all kinds of thrown objects coming at the rapper on stage, and he actually stopped his concert to lecture fans on throwing things. When things continued to come at him, he finally stopped and left the stage.
Kid Cudi was hit in the face with what appeared to be a disposable water bottle before warning fans to stop. He said: “Yo, I will walk off this stage if you all throw one more fโing thing up here, I will leave, I will leave right now. Throw one more fโing thing on this stage and I’ll walk off, I’m not fโing playing. I’m not fโing playing, you will ruin it for everybody. I’ll fโing leave If I get hit with one more fโing thing, if I see one more fโing thing on this fโing stage, I’m leaving. Don’t fโ with me.”
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Just as this speech ended, another bottle landed on the stage, and Cudi left without another word. Fans in the crowd were disappointed, and many on social media were critical as well. Commenters thought that Cudi could have handled the situation differently, while some blamed the venue and the organizers instead.
Many also pointed out Cudi’s recent animosity with rapper Kanye West. West was supposed to headline the show on Friday night but canceled at the last minute. Cudi was called in as his replacement, so some commenters thought that fans in the crowd may have been reactive to this perceived “beef.” Meanwhile, West did end up taking the stage on Friday night elsewhere at the festival, leaving everyone deeply confused. Scroll down for a look at how Kid Cudi’s departure from the Rolling Loud stage is being received.
Kanye Connections
Fans tried to unravel the connections to Kanye West involved in this controversy, and how exactly the people in the crowd might have been perceiving it as well.
Mental Health
Fans also pointed out that Cudi has become a much more vulnerable artist over the course of his career, opening up about mental health as few other rappers do. They thought that this was a poor way to repay him.
Other Approaches
Joking or otherwise, fans shared other ways artists have handled rowdy crowds in the past, saying that Cudi should have prepared accordingly.
Venue and Organizers
Many fans turned the criticism back on the venue, organizers and security at this festival. Many could understand why fans were upset, even if they disagreed with how they expressed it.
Blame Kanye
Some fans felt that Kanye was to blame here, and many even joked that he was more directly involved than he was getting credit for.
Culprit
One viral video making the rounds appears to show the person who threw the final piece of trash that sent Cudi off stage. Many fans condemned this person and hoped they would face some consequences.
More Deserving
Finally, some fans joked about artists that were more deserving of rowdy crowds than Kid Cudi.