Broccoli City is one of the biggest music festivals in the country with thousands flocking to Washington D.C. annually to attend the springtime festival.

Wale (who is listed on the bill beneath 21 Savage, Ari Lennox, and Lil Durk) announced with a tweet that he was pulling out of the festival. When fans asked why, the rapper replied, “Respect is why.”

He didn’t go into specifics on what he meant by “respect,” though some fans speculated that Wale felt slighted by not having top billing for the festival. The festival lineup was announced just a few hours before Wale announced he was dropping out. Wale replied to some of the speculation going on in his replies by saying “I’m glad people understand. That shit really means a lot to me.”

Currently, Wale is touring the country on his “Under a Blue Moon Tour” to promote his latest album Folarin II. He took to social media earlier giving the Chicago audience praise for their energy, and raving about a surprise proposal that took place on the stage.

With the sudden departure, his fans have been torn about the announcement with some fans disappointed he’s leaving his hometown fans hanging. Twitter user Tee Bake said, “Why you want to pull out a show that’s in your hometown. That’s weird vibes!”

Other fans sympathized with Wale over feeling a lack of “respect” with one fan saying, “The disrespect, you’ll get your flowers one day.”

The festival, which began in 2013 an Earth Day celebration in D.C., has gone on to become one of the largest festivals in the country. They responded to the news by tweeting, “We are looking to work something out with Wale– he is a great artist that we respect! We will work something out ! It’s love. We black he black – we all want to bring vibes to the city!”

As of now, it seems as though Wale is going to continue on the rest of his official tour dates with his next show being set for February 2, 2022 in Kansas City.