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The internet is calling out Ludacris and Nelly after they were announced as performers for “Rock the Country,” a pro-America festival dubbed the “MAGA Music Fest.”
On Monday (January 12), organizers revealed the 2026 festival lineup, featuring a largely country roster led by Kid Rock and Jason Aldean, artists closely associated with conservative and pro-Trump politics. Ludacris and Nelly are the only non-country acts booked for the festival.
Ludacris is scheduled to perform in Anderson, South Carolina, alongside Creed and Shinedown, and in Ocala, Florida, with Blake Shelton and Brooks & Dunn. Nelly is slated to appear at the Hamburg, New York date, sharing the bill with Kid Rock and Hank Williams Jr., both outspoken Trump supporters.
While the festival is not explicitly political, The New York Times previously described Rock the Country as “a vision of the MAGA movement in pure party mode,” noting that the shows felt like Trump rallies.
Ludacris and Nelly faced swift backlash online over their association with the event.
“Sooooooo what’s y’all excuse for Ludacris and Nelly since y’all had so much to say about Nicki Minaj,” one user wrote on X.
“Black rich men love Trump. Let’s start shunning them the same way we did Chrisette Michelle and Nicki Minaj… Snoop, Ice Cube, Nelly, now Luda — they all need to be shamed," another user said.
Nelly has previously faced criticism for performing at Trump’s inauguration and later defending the decision as an expression of patriotism.
Ludacris, however, has historically aligned himself with Democratic and progressive causes, including endorsing former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 and backing Hill Harper’s 2024 Senate run.
“All money is not good money,” one commenter said. “Ludacris, Nelly — not surprised by Nelly, but Luda should’ve thought long and hard before being part of this. Not worth the PR hassle.”
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