UPDATE (Jan. 26): The official Instagram account for Lovers & Friends stated that Mary J. Blige has been confirmed for the festival. You can see that post below.

On Wednesday (Jan. 24), the official lineup for the 2024 Lovers & Friends festival was revealed on social media with a wealth of Hip Hop and R&B stars slated to perform. Unfortunately, at least two of the artists listed will not be taking to the stage in Las Vegas as expected.

Today (Jan. 25), Mary J. Blige hopped on her Instagram Stories to shut down any hopes of seeing her at the big event. “I am beyond humbled by the response from all of you about the announcement of me on Lovers & Friends festival. Unfortunately, my inclusion was an error, as I will be busy in preparation for my Strength of A Woman Summit just one week later!” she wrote. “I have the greatest fans in the world and can’t wait to see you in New York in a few short months!”

Blige wasn’t the only artist who appeared to put distance between themselves and the upcoming festival. In the comments section of Lovers & Friends’ Instagram announcement post, Mase asked to be taken off the flyer. No reason was given as to why the “It Is What It Is” co-host was confirmed in the first place.

Outside of Blige and Mase, Janet Jackson, Backstreet Boys, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Ludacris, Nelly, Ashanti and many more are expected to entertain the crowd when Lovers & Friends comes to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on May 4. Usher and Lil Wayne were also tapped to deliver performances of their classic LPs, Confessions and Tha Carter III, respectively.

As previously reported by REVOLT, Lovers & Friends was initially meant to take place near Los Angeles in 2020. Soon after the inaugural reveal, the production was met with some controversy after some artists claimed they weren’t involved, including Twista and Lil’ Kim. The event was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.