Two sold-out concerts Kanye West, now known as Ye, was scheduled to perform in Russia have been cancelled following weeks of uncertainty surrounding the shows.
The American rapper was expected to take the stage at Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg on October 10 and 11.
However, Say Agency, the Moscow-based organiser behind the concerts, announced on Thursday that the performances would no longer hold.
“Friends, it is with sincere regret that we inform you that the Ye concerts in St Petersburg on the scheduled dates will not be able to take place,” the agency said in a statement posted on Telegram.
“In the near future, we will reach out to you with an official statement regarding the status of the project and future plans.
“Say Agency is very grateful to everyone who has been by our side these past month and a half: supporting us, worrying, and, like us, waiting for these concerts with all their hearts. We remain in touch and continue to work.”
The organisers said ticket holders would be able to request refunds from Monday, October 12, with further information on the process to be released.
The cancellation comes after conflicting reports about whether the concerts would take place at the Gazprom Arena.
The stadium had initially promoted Ye’s appearance on social media, describing him as “the most influential musical artist of our time.”
However, after the shows reportedly sold out in August, the venue said it had not reached an agreement with the concert promoters to rent the stadium.
The arena subsequently stated that it “was not and is not” responsible for the booking and acknowledged receiving complaints regarding the planned performances.
The proposed concerts had also attracted criticism from Russian officials.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova had described the planned shows as unacceptable, citing Ye’s alleged “glorification” of Adolf Hitler.
Russian politician Nikolay Novichkov also called for an investigation into the rapper over his praise of Hitler. He argued that the concerts should not proceed unless Ye publicly expressed “moral support for Russia and the special military operation”, the official Russian term for its war in Ukraine.
Ye has faced widespread controversy over his public statements and actions.
Last year, he began selling T-shirts bearing a swastika and released a song titled “Heil Hitler”.
In January, he published a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal apologising for his conduct under the headline, “To Those I’ve Hurt.”
“I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people,” he wrote.
The rapper also attributed his behaviour to bipolar disorder, saying he had experienced “a four-month-long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life”.
His proposed Russian concerts would have followed performances by international artists such as Paul Oakenfold, DaBaby, Jason Derulo and Akon, despite the sanctions imposed on Russia and calls for cultural boycotts following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Ye has encountered similar difficulties elsewhere.
His planned performance in France in April was postponed after he was denied a UK visa, which also resulted in the cancellation of his scheduled headline appearances at London’s Wireless festival following backlash over his antisemitic remarks.
He was also expected to headline the Pulse of Gaia festival at the RCF Arena in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in July. However, local authorities halted the performance after concerns were raised by the local Jewish community.
Despite the controversies surrounding him, Ye has continued to attract large audiences where his concerts have gone ahead.
He staged his first major US concert in more than five years in Los Angeles in April and has subsequently performed in Turkey, the Netherlands, Georgia, Albania, Portugal and Kazakhstan.
Further performances are planned in the US and Indonesia as part of activities supporting his 12th solo album, Bully, which was released in March.
