Kanye West has offered to meet members of the Jewish community in the U.K. amid the controversy over his Wireless Festival booking.
The Stronger hitmaker, also known as Ye, is set to make his live comeback in the U.K. after more than a decade by headlining all three nights of the festival in London’s Finsbury Park in July.
The controversial rapper’s booking has sparked outrage due to his past antisemitic remarks and behaviour, and Wireless sponsors Pepsi, Diageo and PayPal have cut ties with this year’s event.
Addressing the backlash, Kanye issued a statement “to those I’ve hurt” and offered to prove he has changed “through (his) actions”.
“I’ve been following the conversation around Wireless and want to address it directly,” West wrote. “My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through music.
“I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen. I know words aren’t enough – I’ve have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here.”
In January, the Touch the Sky hitmaker took out a full-page advert in The Wall Street Journal to apologise to both Jewish and Black communities for the controversial comments he has been making on and off since 2022.
He attributed some of his past behaviour to his bipolar disorder diagnosis and a car accident 25 years ago that he claimed damaged his frontal lobe.
The rapper’s comments shortly after Melvin Benn, the manager director of Wireless, defended his decision to book Kanye as a headliner following his “abhorrent” comments.
“Having had a person in my life for the last 15 years who suffers from mental illness, I have witnessed many episodes of despicable behaviour that I have had to forgive and move on from,” he said in a statement.
“Forgiveness and giving people a second chance are becoming a lost virtue in this ever-increasing divisive world and I would ask people to reflect on their instant comments of disgust at the likelihood of him performing (as was mine) and offer some forgiveness and hope to him as I have decided to do.”
Kanye released his new album Bully last month and played two sold-out concerts at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium last week.
