Carnival Cruise Line Slammed as Racist Over Purported Ban on Rap Music
What happened: Social media users on TikTok and X are falsely claiming that Carnival Cruise Line has banned the playing of hip-hop and rap music in its ships’ nightclubs and from Bluetooth speakers, allegedly aiming to curb rowdy behavior.
Some social media accounts criticized the purported ban as racially discriminatory, arguing that the policies unfairly targeted Black passengers. Others praised the supposed ban.
A closer look: The claim got millions of views on social media, with some accounts calling for a boycott of Carnival for the allegedly racist policy.
TikTok user @kiarajaxn posted a video on June 30 with on-screen text stating, “I canceled my Carnival cruise because of the new rules.” In the video, she stated: “We got the message loud and clear: We are not your demographic anymore. … Carnival has decided they want to rebrand, they don’t want to be known as the turn-up [partying] cruise. … They said no more hip-hop music.” The video received 3.3 million views and 187,200 likes.
TikTok user @goatedasstee posted a video in which she stated: “Carnival Cruise Line does not like Black people and they don’t want Black people taking their cruises. It started off with the speakers, telling people that they can’t bring speakers. … Now, Carnival has banned rap music on their cruises.” The video’s caption stated, “I’ll take my Black Dollars somewhere else cuz Banning rap music is insane.” The post garnered 117,300 views and 1,890 likes.
Meanwhile, some accounts celebrated the supposed music ban.
X account @White_Ghost187, which often shares racist content such as posts claiming that Black people destroy neighborhoods when they move in, reposted @kiarajaxn’s TikTok video and added the caption: “Blacks are mad carnival cruise banned rap music because black behavior isn’t welcome anymore. … No Laquita [sic], blacks turned it into Liberia on a boat.” The post garnered 415,700 views and 5,900 likes.
Actually: Carnival Cruise Line, a Florida-based company that operates a fleet of 29 cruise ships, has not banned hip-hop and rap music.
Addressing the claim, Carnival public relations senior manager Matt Lupoli told Black Enterprise (Trust Score: 92.5/100) in a July 10, 2025, article that the cruise line has “implemented themed nights in their nightclub experiences that cover a variety of music genres, hip hop included.”
Indeed, NewsGuard identified several TikTok videos posted after the supposed ban was implemented — including on July 6, July 12, and July 14, 2025 — showing nightclubs on Carnival cruises playing rap and hip-hop music.
It’s true that Carnival has banned Bluetooth speakers, but that policy went into effect in 2024 and applies to all types of music, according to archived versions of the company’s Safety Information page. Carnival said that the policy was meant to ensure that public safety announcements can be heard by guests and crew.
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