When Kanye West pulled out of his headlining spot at Rolling Loud — his second such major festival cancellation this year — fans hoped that his replacement would be longtime Rolling Loud mainstay, Travis Scott. Instead, Kid Cudi was announced as West’s replacement, prompting some fans to speculate that Travis was blacklisted after the deaths at Astroworld. It didn’t help that co-founder Tariq Cherif responded to a fan’s comment on Instagram that the “venue won’t allow Travis because of Astroworld deaths.”
However, Rolling Loud’s organizers have made it clear through statements given to Rolling Stone that Travis was not banned from Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. Instead, they say the logistics of pulling together a Travis headlining set at the eleventh hour were just too difficult to make happen. According to a spokesperson, “We reached out to Travis to headline Rolling Loud, but it couldn’t work in such a short time. This had nothing to do with any restrictions from the hosting venue Hard Rock Stadium.”
It certainly doesn’t appear that the Houston rapper has had any troubles getting booked after taking a six-month hiatus from performing. He was also billed as a headliner of Day N Vegas — although that festival was canceled due to logistical issues — and he’s due to headline Primavera Sound in Sao Paulo despite the hundreds of lawsuits currently underway against Travis and Roc Nation. His first concert back at London’s O2 Academy also reportedly sold out so quickly that a second date was added, so it doesn’t appear venues are any warier about him than they were before.
As for Rolling Loud, Kid Cudi is headlining, so there isn’t that much difference, right?
