Rubicon Festival in Bratislava, Slovakia, has been cancelled after outcry that Kanye West was set to perform.
The American rapper known as Ye, 48, has been a controversial figure for some time.
From branding himself a ‘Nazi’ and sharing antisemitic content on Twitter to recently being accused of sex trafficking and assault, there are a lot of reasons the singer is problematic.
In May, the singer released a song titled Heil Hitler which ends with a sample from a speech by Adolf Hitler in 1935 in the original German. Hitler says in German in the speech: ‘Stand up for me like I have stood up for you.’
The song was banned in Germany under hate speech laws and was removed from most major music platforms.
Since the release of the song, artists have been dropping out of Rubicon Festival, with fans signing a petition against the gig, calling Ye as a headliner ‘an insult to historic memory, a glorification of wartime violence and debasement of all victims of the Nazi regime.’
Following extreme controversy, the festival has now been cancelled.
The Slovakian festival announced on July 10, that the entire festival was cancelled due to ‘unforseen circumstances’ and ‘external pressure’.
The festival announced on social media: ‘It is with regret that we announce: Rubicon Festival will not take place this year.
‘This was not an easy decision. Due to media pressure and the withdrawal of several artists and partners, we were unable to deliver the festival at the standard of quality you deserve.
‘We are truly grateful for your support and trust. For those who have purchased tickets, please be patient – all refund information will be sent via email within 14 days.
‘This is not the end of Rubicon. We are not giving up. We’re already working to come back stronger.’
The hip-hop gathering in Bratislava was due to take place across the weekend of July 18-20, with several performers and partners withdrawing because of the controversial rapper’s involvement.
Kanye was set to perform on Sunday July 20, with the Sunday lineup also including Malik Montana, and Kontrafakt.
Other headliners across the weekend included Ken Carson, Offset, and Sheck Wes.
Earlier this month, it was announced that the rapper was banned from Australia, where his wife Bianca Censori is from.
The artist had a ‘lower-level’ visa which has now been revoked because of the release of his song in May.
The country’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told ABC: ‘He’s been coming to Australia for a long time.
‘He’s got family here and he’s made a lot of offensive comments that my officials looked at again.
‘Once he released the Heil Hitler song, he no longer has a valid visa in Australia.
‘It wasn’t a visa for the purpose of concerts. It was a lower-level and the officials still looked at the law and said, you’re going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism, we don’t need that in Australia.’
It is not yet clear if this ban is permanent, as visas are assessed as and when the application is submitted.
Metro has reached out to Kanye West’s representatives for comment.
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