Why is Jay-Z Made in America festival canceled? Refunds and all you need to know as organizers issue apology statement 

Jay-Z and his Made in America festival was scheduled to return for the eleventh year at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from September 2 to September 3, 2023.

However, in light of the recent allegations against Lizzo, one of the scheduled headliners of this year's festival, the organizers have canceled the festival.

The organizers announced the cancellation of the festival via a post on its official Instagram page on August 8, 2023, stating:

"Due to severe circumstances outside of production control, the 2023 Made in America festival will no longer be taking place. This decision has been difficult and has not been made lightly or without immense deliberations."

All tickets purchased for the festival will be refunded automatically by ticket vendors, the announcement stated at its ending. The festival is set to return in 2024 as of now.

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Jay-Z Made in America festival canceled amidst Lizzo allegations

The 2023 Made in America festival was scheduled to be headlined by SZA and Lizzo, with other lineups including artists such as Tems, Doechii, Coi Leray, Lola Brooke and more.

However, Lizzo is currently in the news for allegations of workplace harassment and discrimination on of religious, race, se*ual, as well as body image grounds under the FEHA act in California, following a lawsuit filed by three of her former dancers, Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez, at the Superior court of Los Angeles county, California.

The lawsuit has already resulted in backlash from netizens on social media, with a loss of more than 220,000 followers on Instagram. The lawyers of the dancers, led by Ron Zambrano and his firm, have also recently stated that additional complaints are being investigated against the singer.

The lawsuit makes the singer unviable as the headliner of a major festival such as Made in America and given the short time frame, Made in America's organizers were apparently not able to find a replacement headliner.

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Tracing Jay-Z and his music career

Shawn Corey Carter, better known by his stage name, Jay-Z, was born on December 4, 1969. He started playing music in his teenage years, after being gifted a boombox by his mother.

The singer released his debut studio album, Reasonable Doubt, on June 25, 1996. The album was reasonably successful, peaking at number 23 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

The singer started gaining commercial traction with his third studio album, Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life, which was released on September 29, 1998. The album remains his most successful album in the US, with a multi-platinum certification from the RIAA.

Jay-Z had his second most successful project with his eleventh studio album, The Blueprint 3, which was released on September 8, 2009. The album was a chart-topper on the Billboard 200 and Canadian album charts and received platinum sale certifications in the US, UK, and Canada.