Ken Carson Steps In To Headline Rolling Loud After NBA YoungBoy Backs Out

YoungBoy Never Broke Again, also known as NBA YoungBoy, will no longer close out this weekend’s Rolling Loud in Orlando, and Ken Carson will take his place as headliner of hip-hop’s biggest music festival.

NBA YoungBoy announced his departure from the festival in an Instagram story Thursday afternoon.

“To my Rolling Loud family, I won’t be making it this time,” the 26-year-old rapper from Baton Rouge wrote. “I just need some time away from traveling and performing right now. Love to everybody supporting me, I’ll forever appreciate y’all!”

Rolling Loud shared the message on social media and then announced Carson as his replacement. The Atlanta rapper recently wrapped his “WTF” European and U.K. tour promoting his 2025 album More Chaos.

This weekend’s event in Orlando is the only Rolling Loud festival in the U.S. this year. Don Toliver headlines Friday night and Playboi Carti closes Day 2. Other acts on the bill include EsDeeKid, Chief Keef, Sexyy Red, Fakemink, Destroy Lonely, BossMan Dlow, OsamaSon, Nettspend, PlaqueBoyMax and many more.

Amazon Music has exclusive streaming rights to the hip-hop festival at Camping World Stadium, and fans can watch it on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, as well as on Prime Video and in the Amazon Music app.

Carson, who is booked worldwide by Creative Artists Agency, embarked on a European tour earlier this year and performed at OVO Arena Wembley in London, where he grossed $511,164 off 8,424 tickets, according to Pollstar Boxoffice. He was supposed to headline Rolling Loud Australia in Sydney and Melbourne in March, but the festival was canceled eight days before the event because of a payment dispute with local promoter and partner Primuse Entertainment