American rapper Lil Wayne was replaced by a Grammy winner Ludacris at the last minute for the upcoming festival performance.
Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., has been denied entry to the United Kingdom and is therefore unable to perform at the Strawberries & Cream Festival in Childerley Orchard, Cambridge this weekend.
The organizers of the festival published the news on their own Instagram page late last night, where they explained why they were forced to change titles.
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“Due to extreme circumstances beyond our control or influence, we are very sorry to inform you that Lil Wayne is currently unable to perform at the festival on Saturday, June 18,” the statement said.
“Lil Wayne was denied entry to the UK directly by the Home Office at the last minute. We are deeply disappointed by this sudden and negative verdict.”
The festival said it had received “very minimal information” about Wayne’s status, and that the timing of the decision was “disturbing to all involved”, including Wayne’s fans.
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The reasons why Wayne was denied entry are currently unclear, and neither Wayne nor his team have released a statement so far.
“In the absence of any statement from Lil Wayne, we want to apologize to everyone who came to see him at S&C,” the festival concluded in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming the legendary Ludcacris to the stage instead.”
Wayne’s absence from the festival provoked mixed reactions from attendees, and some fans demanded a refund.
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President T, who is a performer at the festival, wrote in a comment on Instagram a call to the UK Home Office to “solve” this because denying Wayne entry deprives him of his “subsistence”.
“[UK Home Office] solve it, ladies and gentlemen, please, “wrote President T.” The fans and I wanted to see [Lil Wayne] at work on stage he works with the audience a good vibez and besides, keep in mind that this is his JOB and livelihood. “
“Ludacris as a replacement for Lil Wayne is a slap – people bought a ticket just to see Lil Wayne,” one festival visitor commented.
Another wrote, “Refund please.”
Some festival goers, however, were overjoyed, with one caption: “CRAZY. Yeah, I’m excited after all. Crazy turnaround! Let’s have fun.”
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