Maricopa’s Wild West Music Fest has added a hip-hop heavyweight to its 2026 lineup.

City officials announced today that Soulja Boy will headline the festival’s closing night on Sunday, March 29, at Copper Sky Regional Park.

The Atlanta-born rapper, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, rose to fame in 2007 with the viral smash Crank That (Soulja Boy), a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit that helped usher in the YouTube era of music promotion. The single was nominated for a Grammy Award and made Soulja Boy one of the first artists to leverage social media and digital platforms to build a mainstream following.

He followed with hits including Turn My Swag On, Kiss Me Thru the Phone featuring Sammie and Pretty Boy Swag.

The Sunday headliner announcement rounds out a genre-spanning weekend for the city’s third annual festival.

As previously reported, Grammy-winning country band Diamond Rio will headline Saturday, March 28. The group is known for five No. 1 country singles and won a Grammy in 2011 for “The Reason.”

The city also announced last week that rock band Alien Ant Farm will kick off the festival on Friday, March 27, as part of Community Day, which features discounted tickets for residents.

Wild West Music Fest runs March 27-29 at Copper Sky Regional Park and includes carnival rides, food vendors, local and national entertainment and family-friendly activities throughout the weekend.

Early bird three-day tickets remain on sale at WWMFest.com. A $29.53 ticket provides all-day festival access and a concert ticket for kids 13 and older and adults. Children ages 5-12 are $18.85, and kids 4 and under are admitted free.

The festival rebounded financially in 2025, posting a $2,700 profit after generating $466,000 in revenue against $463,000 in expenses. Officials also estimated $2.84 million in economic impact tied to visitor spending during last year’s event.

More supporting acts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.