NOT TODAY, YE

Festival Axed Over Furious Kanye West Performance Backlash

Thousands protested rapper’s inclusion after release of track glorifying Adolf Hitler.

A major hip-hop festival has been axed after outrage over Kanye West’s controversial track glorifying Adolf Hitler. Organizers of the Rubicon Festival in Slovakia, set to run July 18-20, cited “external pressure and logistical challenges” in a statement announcing the cancellation. The gig had been West’s only planned live performance in Europe this year. West, who officially goes by Ye, triggered global uproar with his May 8 release of Heil Hitler, a song that samples a 1935 speech by the Nazi leader. The track was banned in Germany and taken off Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube. Thousands had petitioned against West starring in the rap festival this month, calling it “an insult to historic memory, a glorification of wartime violence and debasement of all victims of the Nazi regime.” In an Instagram statement, the festival said: “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.” Earlier this month, Australia’s home affairs minister, Tony Burke, revealed that West’s Australian visa was revoked over the same track.