Two stadium performances in Russia by Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, have been officially cancelled. West was scheduled to perform at the Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg on 10 and 11 October.
Say Agency, the Moscow-based agency, confirmed the cancellations, stating the concerts would not happen on the scheduled dates. The Gazprom Arena stated in August that it had not signed a rental agreement with the concert promoters, making the event impossible at the venue.
Maria Zakharova stated that the planned shows were unacceptable, specifically pointing to West's 'glorification' of Hitler. These concerns stem from West's past actions, including releasing a song titled Heil Hitler and selling swastika T-shirts in 2025.
Previously, West recently issued an apology for multiple antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments, attributing his remarks to losing touch with reality due to his bipolar disorder. The rapper's first major concert in the United States in over five years took place in Los Angeles in April.
Furthermore, West was previously barred from entering the UK after being set to headline London's Wireless Festival last summer.
