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BigXthaPlug Gets Arrested in Dallas on the Exact Same Date as His Previous Run-in With the Law
Rapper BigXthaPlug was arrested in Dallas on Friday on charges including DWI, marijuana possession, and unlawful firearm possession, forcing him to cancel a festival appearance in Canada. He was released the next day and performed at the Iowa State Fair, where he addressed the arrest.
Rapper BigXthaPlug, whose real name is Xavier Landum, was arrested on Friday, August 21, in the Dallas suburb of Allen, according to Collin County records. The 28-year-old was booked into Collin County Jail and faces charges of driving while intoxicated, possession of marijuana, and unlawful possession of a firearm, as reported by multiple outlets. The exact circumstances leading to the arrest remain unclear, per Fox 4.
Festival Cancellation and Fallout
The arrest forced BigXthaPlug to cancel his scheduled performance at the Country Rising Festival in Winnipeg, Manitoba, that same day. Festival organizers announced the cancellation on social media, citing a "personal emergency." The Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball club, which operates the festival's venue, Blue Cross Park, issued a statement saying they understand the disappointment but clarified that the ballpark is only the host venue and is not responsible for the festival's programming or artist decisions.
Several attendees expressed frustration and demanded refunds, with one person writing, "That is brutal! Came specifically for Big X! Where's the refund?" Another said, "I only got my ticket to see big x. I literally got here and got told he wasn't coming anymore. Extremely disappointed."
Iowa State Fair Performance
Despite the arrest, BigXthaPlug was released on Saturday and performed at the Iowa State Fair Grandstand that evening, as scheduled. Fair spokesperson Mindy Williamson said early Saturday, "We are in communication with his agent and at this time, we have been told he will still be performing." BigXthaPlug also shared a video on his Instagram Story on Saturday saying he was on his way to Iowa.
During the performance, he addressed the arrest directly, telling the audience, "They didn't think I'd make it," and recalling, "When I was in Collin County, I was praying hard. I was like, 'Please let me make it to Des Moines, Iowa.'" A review in the Ames Tribune described the set as energetic but noted it "seemed stuck in cruise control," with the crowd rushing out after he left the stage.
Prior Legal Troubles
This arrest marks another in a series of legal issues for BigXthaPlug. He was arrested almost exactly a year ago on similar charges—marijuana and firearm possession—while celebrating the release of his country debut album I Hope You're Happy, according to VICE and Showbiz Cheat Sheet. That case is still ongoing, and BigXthaPlug was out on bail at the time of this arrest. He also faced an arrest in February 2025 on marijuana charges, which were dismissed.
BigXthaPlug has spoken publicly about his past with the law. He told Complex that he began writing songs in 2022 while in jail: "That's really why I started writing, so that I could stay sane. That's nowhere for somebody with a right mind to be."
Career and Impact
BigXthaPlug has risen to prominence with tracks like "Texas," "The Largest," and "Mmhmm," and his song "All the Way" with Bailey Zimmerman topped both Billboard's Hot Country Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts. He has upcoming appearances at the Country Rising Festival in Buffalo, the Alaska State Fair, and other venues.
How each outlet told it
Ames Tribune
Framing: Headline focuses on performance following arrest, emphasizing resilience. — Review-focused, slightly critical of performance quality ('seemed stuck in cruise control', 'repetitive').
Facts Included:
BigXthaPlug arrested Friday, Aug. 21, in Dallas suburb of Allen.
Charges: driving while intoxicated, possession of marijuana, unlicensed possession of a firearm.
Released Saturday and performed at Iowa State Fair Grandstand.
Real name Xavier Landum, 28 years old.
Performance review with setlist and details.
Quotes from performance: 'They didn’t think I’d make it' and 'When I was in Collin County, I was praying hard. I was like ‘Please let me make it to Des Moines, Iowa,’'
Album 'I Hope You're Happy' in 2025 as country debut.
Collaborations with Luke Combs, Post Malone, Shaboozey, Bailey Zimmerman.
Song 'All the Way' with Bailey Zimmerman topped Billboard Hot Country Songs and Hot Rap Songs.
Framing: Headline emphasizes forced cancellation due to arrest, using colloquial 'busted'. — Dramatic and sympathetic to fans; uses quotes from disappointed attendees.
Facts Included:
BigXthaPlug arrested Friday on drug charges in Texas.
Real name Xavier Landum.
Arrested on August 21, booked into Collin County Jail, per Fox4.
Charges: driving while intoxicated, marijuana possession of less than 2 ounces, unlawful possession of a firearm.
Cancelled planned concert at Country Rising Festival in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Festival statement on Instagram: 'personal emergency', 'seriously bummed.'
Multiple attendees demanded refunds; quotes from attendees.
Iowa State Fair show on Saturday August 22 at 7 p.m. CT still set to happen.
Fair spokesperson Mindy Williamson quote: 'We are in communication with his agent and at this time, we have been told he will still be performing.'
BigXthaPlug shared Instagram Story on Saturday saying he was on his way to Iowa.
Future concert dates: Country Rising Festival in Buffalo, Alaska State Fair, Oregon State Fair, Kansas State Fair, supporting spot on Outlaws Never Die Tour in Canada.
Previously arrested twice in 2025 on marijuana charges, including August 2025 arrest on same day album 'I Hope You're Happy' dropped.
Began writing songs in 2022 while behind bars after drug and weapons charges.
Quote from Complex: 'That’s really why I started writing, so that I could stay sane...'
Framing: Emphasizes no-show and arrest, linking them directly. Leaves out that he performed the next day. — Neutral-to-speculative; describes events and possibilities ('might complicate things', 'wait and see').
Facts Included:
BigXthaPlug was arrested yesterday (Friday, August 21) in Collin County, Dallas, Texas.
Booked into county's prison.
Charges: unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of marijuana, and driving while intoxicated.
Arrest led to missing scheduled slot at Country Rising festival that day.
Festival announced cancellation via social media, calling it a 'personal emergency.'
Exact circumstances of arrest unclear per Fox 4.
Iowa State Fair Grandstand show still slated for Saturday, August 22 per KCCI and fair officials.
Fair officials statement: 'We are in communication with his agent and at this time, we have been told he will still be performing.'
Previous arrest almost exactly a year ago on similar charges.
Arrest in February of last year with charges dismissed.
Framing: Headline emphasizes performance after arrest, suggesting resilience. Leaves out details of charges and location. — Neutral-to-positive; highlights his ability to perform despite arrest, using his own quotes to convey determination.
Facts Included:
BigXthaPlug arrested in Texas on charges: driving while intoxicated, drug possession, unlawful firearm possession.
Second arrest in Dallas area exactly one year after similar incident.
Real name Xavier Landum, 28 years old.
Arrested in a Dallas suburb on Friday.
Booked into county jail, faced several misdemeanor charges.
Details not fully released.
Released in time to perform in Iowa the next day.
Originally scheduled to headline a music festival in Canada that weekend, but organizers said unable to perform due to personal emergency.
At Iowa performance, addressed arrest: 'They didn’t think I was coming.'
Quote: 'When I was in Collin County, I was praying hard. I was like, ‘Please let me make it to Des Moines, Iowa,’'
Referenced arrest in social media post using mugshot as thumbnail.
Previous arrest one year ago in same area on marijuana and firearm possession charges after album release event.
Separate arrest in early 2025 related to marijuana possession.
Framing: Headline emphasizes the coincidental same date as previous arrest, focusing on pattern. — Neutral-to-slightly dramatic; uses 'hot water' and highlights irony of same date.
Facts Included:
BigXthaPlug arrested in Dallas; charged with driving while intoxicated, marijuana possession, unlawful possession of a firearm.
No additional details on what led to arrest.
Slated to perform at Country Rising Festival same day; pulled out due to 'personal emergency.'
Statement from Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball club and Blue Cross Park.
Arrested on same exact date a year prior; charged with same offenses except DWI.
Was celebrating album release 'I Hope You're Happy' that day.
Second arrest that year, with one in Arlington in February 2025; charges dismissed.
Iowa State Fair not certain if BigXthaPlug will cancel; agent believes they can honor commitment.
Quote from spokesperson Mindy Williamson: 'We are in communication with his agent and at this time, we have been told he will still be performing.'
Known for hits like 'Texas' and crossover country hits with Bailey Zimmerman.
Quotes from BigXthaPlug about entering country music, mentioning Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Shaboozey.
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimBigXthaPlug was arrested on Friday, August 21, 2026, in Collin County, Dallas, Texas.
ClaimBigXthaPlug told the audience at the Iowa State Fair, 'They didn't think I was coming' and 'When I was in Collin County, I was praying hard. I was like, Please let me make it to Des Moines, Iowa.'
ClaimIowa State Fair spokesperson Mindy Williamson said, 'We are in communication with his agent and at this time, we have been told he will still be performing.'
ClaimThe Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball club issued a statement saying the ballpark is the host venue only and is not responsible for the Country Rising Festival's programming, artist bookings, scheduling, or related decisions.
ClaimBigXthaPlug told the New York Times, 'I made a song called Texas. That's what opened the doors. After that, I started getting Luke Combs telling me I'm his favorite rap artist, and then you got Morgan Wallen pulling up to my shows just to tell me, Hey, you're doing a great job, I appreciate what you do.'
ClaimBigXthaPlug said he began writing songs in 2022 while in jail, telling Complex, 'That's really why I started writing, so that I could stay sane. That's nowhere for somebody with a right mind to be. I just had to do something to keep my mind together and that was one of the ways that kept me solid, kept me grounded. I really feel like it expanded my vocabulary.'
ClaimBigXthaPlug has future concert dates at the Country Rising Festival in Buffalo, New York, Alaska State Fair, Oregon State Fair, and Kansas State Fair, as well as a supporting spot on the Outlaws Never Die Tour in Canada.