Rolling Loud is taking a stand against hecklers who seek to disrupt the hip hop festival. On Friday (July 22), headliner Kid Cudi abruptly ended his set in Miami after hecklers continuously threw items onto the stage.
At one point, Cudi stopped performing to address the audience. “I will fucking leave,” he told the crowd. He continued, “If I get hit with one more fucking thing—if I see one more fucking thing on this fucking stage, I’m leaving. Don’t fuck with me.” As he finished speaking a bottle was thrown at him. He responded by dropping the mic and walking off stage. He has yet to address the incident online.
Around 3 p.m. Saturday (July 23), Rolling Loud issued a statement on Twitter regarding the heckling Cudi experienced. “Rolling Loud is a family. Our fans, the artists, and everyone involved need to look out for each other. Share the love and be respectful to everyone. We love you, Cudi. Please take care of each other and let’s have an amazing day 2,” read the statement.
Video of bottles being thrown on stage quickly spread on the internet. At the same time, so did footage of a person accused of throwing the bottle that ultimately provoked Cudi to end his set. Cudi’s experience was just one of the shockers of the first day of performances. Fans who were looking forward to seeing Kanye West headline day one were let down on July 17 when the rapper pulled out of the festival. But to fans’ surprise, West ended up gracing the stage alongside rapper Lil Durk to perform “Lift My Hands.”
The festival spans three days. Day two includes performances from Latto, City Girls, Lil Uzi Vert, and headliner Future. The final day of the festival will be headlined by Kendrick Lamar.