Rock the Country, the country-music festival first launched in 2024 by headliner Kid Rock, announced its 2026 lineup on Monday. Rock was again atop the bill, along with fellow MAGA supporter Jason Aldean, and a vast undercard that included everyone from Creed and Shinedown to Gavin Adcock, Brantley Gilbert, and Nelly. Ludacris’s name was also on the poster — until Friday morning.
A rep for Rock the Country confirmed that Ludacris was no longer on the festival and directed Rolling Stone to the rapper’s team “for any additional comments.” A rep for Ludacris told Rolling Stone that the inclusion of the rapper was “a mix-up. Lines got crossed and he wasn’t supposed to be on there.”
Fan blowback to Ludacris’s involvement with a tour, which some view as MAGA-related, was swift. “Luda, bro, what are you doing? I’m so confused,” one person posted in a video on Instagram. “We about to put you over there with Kanye and Snoop…stop playing. Why’d you sign up for this? You got 48 hours to issue a statement, you got 48 hours to let us know you’re about to cancel this contract.”
Another Instagram user said fans shouldn’t be surprised by Ludacris appearing on the lineup and cited a photo of the rapper wearing a stage outfit emblazoned with the Confederate flag. “Any man that’s willing to rock the Confederate flag as a Black man is a Black man that’s willing to do anything for some money,” he said.
Nelly, who performed on the inaugural 2024 Rock the Country festival, remains on this year’s tour. The “Hot in Herre” rapper also performed at President Trump’s inauguration in 2025. “I was born in a military base in Austin. My father served, my grandfather served, my uncle served, my auntie served. I’ve been entertaining the troops all over this world,” Nelly said then, defending his appearance. “If these people can give their live for the office, Nelly can perform for it…. I love this country as well. It is an honor for me to perform for the President of the United States, regardless of who is in office.”
While the Rock the Country festival isn’t explicitly a political event, it has had its share of political statements since its inception. In 2024, Adcock went on a tirade against then-President Joe Biden. “Fuck you Joe Biden, you cocksucking motherfucker,” he shouted onstage. Last year, Trump himself introduced Kid Rock’s set at the festival via a video message. “Fight, fight, fight, win, win, win, for the American people,” Trump said.
Along with Kid Rock and Aldean, the 2026 lineup includes Jelly Roll, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Brooks & Dunn, Riley Green, Hank Williams Jr., Ella Langley, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. It’ll hit eight towns across the U.S. beginning the weekend of May 1 and 2 in Belleville, Texas. That this year’s lineup includes such mainstream stars as Jelly Roll and Shelton underscores the embrace of Trump and the MAGA movement by Nashville’s Music Row, in stark contrast to how the industry mostly avoided Trump during his first term.
