Kanye West Drops out of Coachella Lineup

The troubled rapper was set to headline the festival alongside Billie Eilish and Harry Styles.

Kanye “Ye” West has officially dropped out of the Coachella lineup. The rapper was set to headline the festival, which begins in less than two weeks, alongside Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, and Swedish House Mafia.  

Ye’s decision is not entirely unsurprising given the events of the past month, which saw him briefly removed from Instagram after a racist attack on Trevor Noah and banned from performing at the Grammys. (Despite the ban, Ye did win two Grammy awards, one for Best Melodic Rap Performance with “Hurricane,” and Best Rap Song with “Jail.”) While he didn’t provide the festival with a reason for dropping out, it can be presumed that he didn’t want to perform amidst his public divorce from Kim Kardashian and his ongoing social media outbursts.

As the news broke, a flurry of Coachella tickets went up for sale on resale sites, with many Ye fans having bought weekend passes solely for the rapper. He had previously teased a surprise performance by Travis Scott during his set in what was supposed to be Scott’s first live performance since the tragedy at his Astroworld Festival in November.  

Despite leaving them with a gaping hole in their lineup, TMZ reports that Coachella organizers understand Ye’s decision and wish him the best. They also reported that as of now, Coachella does not have anyone lined up to take Ye’s place.  

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will take place April 15-17 and April 22-24 in Indio, Calif.

The original Coachella lineup.

 

 

 

 

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