Photo Credit: Carnet de Voyage d’Alex
France’s interior minister seeks to block the rapper formerly known as Kanye West from performing in the city of Marseille in June.
France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez is set on banning Ye, the U.S. rapper formerly known as Kanye West, from performing in Marseille on June 11, and is exploring “all possibilities” to do so. Sources say Nunez discussed the possibility of cancelling the concert with the regional prefect and the mayor of Marseille during his visit to the city last week.
Benoit Payan, Marseille’s mayor, said last month that he opposed Ye’s visit and refused “to allow Marseille to be a showcase for those who promote hatred.”
The 48-year-old West was recently blocked from entering Britain due to his rampant antisemitism, for which he recently issued an apology.
But an apology is not enough, in the eyes of many, to walk back several years of racist and antisemitic remarks, voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler, and selling swastika merch. The rapper even released a song called “Heil Hitler,” which was banned by major streaming platforms.
However, though the French government is keen on barring West’s entry, Dutch Asylum and Migration Minister Bart van den Brink said there were currently no plans to prevent the rapper from performing in the Netherlands.
Ye recently released a new album, Bully, which has seen less than stellar sales, especially up against the new BTS album, ARIRANG. West has been eager to make a comeback after essentially destroying his own career, which saw him lose his lucrative Yeezy deals with Adidas.
But such a rapid descent into promoting hatred will require a lot more than a public apology, even for a once-celebrated artist like Kanye West.
Meanwhile, the musician has faced several lawsuits in recent months, particularly from individuals who were formerly in his employ. Last month, he was found liable for the unpaid wages and wrongful termination of the former project manager of his Malibu mansion renovation.
The latest filing comes from an anonymous man who claims West punched him at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood in 2024. He alleges that West “falsely accused” him of “engaging in offensive and inappropriate conduct toward a woman in [West’s] party.” The filing asserts that evidence, including video recordings from the scene, proves that the man did nothing to provoke the attack.
