The Rubicon hip hop festival in Bratislava has announced the cancellation of Kanye West's upcoming performance, initially set for July 20, AFP reported on Thursday.
The decision follows a significant public outcry stemming from the US rapper's recent release of a song glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. This gig was poised to be West's only confirmed live appearance in Europe this year.
West, who legally changed his name to "Ye," sparked controversy with his song "Heil Hitler," released on May 8, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II. The track reportedly features West rapping about personal matters before concluding with an extract from a speech by the Nazi dictator.
In the wake of the festival's announcement of West's inclusion in the lineup, thousands of individuals swiftly signed petitions opposing his appearance. Two groups spearheading the petition asserted that the Grammy-winning rapper is "repeatedly and openly adhering to symbols and ideology connected with the darkest period of modern global history."
In a statement posted on Instagram late Wednesday, the organizers of the Rubicon festival confirmed the cancellation, citing "media pressure and the withdrawal of several artists and partners."
While not directly linking the cancellation to West's controversial song, the organizers acknowledged, "This was not an easy decision."
The Rubicon festival, which bills itself as Central Europe's premier hip hop gathering, was scheduled to run from July 18 to 20. Alongside West, American rappers Offset and Sheck Wes were also slated to share top billing.
Just last week, Australia canceled West’s visa as a result of his controversial and antisemitic comments made in recent months.
West has a lengthy history of posting antisemitic comments on social media. In 2022, the rapper threatened to go "death con 3 on the Jews" in an apparent antisemitic rant on X, which was then called Twitter. West followed this up by claiming that he can't be antisemitic "because black people are actually Jew."
West’s antisemitic comments caused a host of companies to cut ties with him, including Adidas, the Creative Artists Agency, Foot Locker and Apple Music.
In May, West publicly declared an end to his antisemitic rhetoric, just hours after the deadly shooting attack in Washington DC in which Yaron Lischnisky and Sarah Milgram were murdered.
Though he did not directly mention the Washington attack, West shared eleven posts expressing remorse and a call for peace. Among his messages were "God forgive me for the pain I’ve caused" and "GOD CALLS FOR PEACE."