Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Entertainment
EntertainmentMusic

Future Cancels Charlottesville, Va., Show ‘Out of Respect for the Tragic Events’

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Some fans wanted their money back after Future decided to cancel his Charlottesville, Va. concert. (Gary Miller/Getty Images)

Future is putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to condemning the deadly violence out of Charlottesville, Va., by refusing to perform in the city.

The rapper announced Thursday that he was canceling his scheduled Saturday, Aug. 19, performance at John Paul Jones Arena. While he will no longer make a stop there as part of his show schedule following the end of the “Nobody Safe Tour” in June, Future affirmed the city “is important to me and always will be.”

The decision comes after counter-protesters showed up to a white supremacist rally in support of Confederate monuments Saturday, Aug. 12, and a man rammed his car through the protesters. The man, James Alex Fields Jr., is accused of killing one woman, Heather Heyer, and injuring 19 others.

More On the Aftermath of the Deadly Charlottesville, Va., Incident

  1. Trump Blames ‘Many Sides’ for Violent Clashes In Virginia
  2. Charlottesville Crash Suspect’s Ex-Teacher Says He Idolized Hitler, Nazism
  3. Deadly Charlottesville Rally Accelerates Removal of Confederate Memorials Nationwide

Future’s tweet was met with some who felt the rapper should have kept the concert date.

Mostly, however, his message brought support from fans.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top