Ye Dropped Out of Coachella
Music

Ye Dropped Out of Coachella

by Kenna McCafferty

If you’ve ever felt bad for canceling plans last minute, don’t beat yourself up. Ye does it too! Just over a week away from the coveted Coachella Festival, the DONDA rapper pulled out of his headlining spot.

West will no longer be closing the two-weekend festival, running April 15 to 17 and 22 to 24, and neither Ye, nor festival organizers have given comment to explain the sudden pull. First reported by TMZ, Kanye’s drop from the bill takes with it a rumored Travis Scott guest appearance, which would’ve marked the rapper’s first large-scale show since the death of 10 attendees at his Astroworld performance in October 2021.

The first Coachella since the pandemic has gone through a few revisions from its 2020 lineup, which featured Scott, Frank Ocean and Rage Against The Machine as headliners. Ocean has since pushed his appearance to 2023, while Scott was removed from the bill due to backlash against his response to the Astroworld tragedy. Though an appearance in Ye's set would’ve granted Scott another chance at the coveted slot, the two quasi-brother-in-laws have bowed out.

Though the news is shocking, we aren’t exactly surprised. The only thing more quintessentially Ye than a show-stopping Coachella headline is dropping out of what would’ve been a show-stopping Coachella headline a week prior, with no explanation. West has recently taken a step out of the public eye, not attending the Grammys after being barred from performing, and taking what seems to be a social media break following his 24-hour ban from Instagram. Having recently told ex-wife Kim Kardashian that he’s seeking treatment, the sudden pull seems more personal than publicity stunt.

Fans, who petitioned earlier in the month to have West dropped from the bill, have been quick to speculate as to who might replace him.

As of yet, no replacement has been announced, but the festival is sold out and scheduled to take place in the iconic Empire Polo Ground in Indio, California, calling more than 100,000 people back to the festival ground amid an ongoing pandemic. Concert officials assure covid-safe options and a swift replacement of Ye's spot. Whoever claims the Coachella crown will follow Harry Styles, whose latest single broke Spotify records, and Billie Eilish headlining the first two nights.

Whatever the sudden drop may mean for Ye, it’s certainly won’t jeopardize his career. The rapper and hip-hop mogul took home two Grammys for DONDA, breaking the record for most wins for a hip-hop artist, despite his absence from the awards ceremony and performance list.

Photo via Getty/ John Shearer

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