The Albanian Prime Minister has announced that a Kanye West concert will go ahead in the capital, Tirana.
The announcement comes after most of West’s shows in Europe have been cancelled, due to backlash over his previous antisemitic comments.
The rapper, who is now known as Ye, released his latest album, Bully, in March. He was due to headline three nights of London’s Wireless Festival, but sponsors cut ties with the event, and the UK home office blocked the star from entering the country.
After that, shows in Switzerland, Poland and France were cancelled.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama posted on Facebook to confirm Ye would be playing in the capital city as planned in July. “In every aspect, it is our obligation to welcome and facilitate the development of such events that bring numerous benefits to tourism and the economy,” confirmed the Ministry of Culture.
The singer, who was previously married to Kim Kardashian, made offensive comments on social media in 2022, which saw his Instagram and Twitter accounts suspended. He was dropped by his talent agency, lawyer and record label. Initially, he refused to apologise for his comments, suggesting Jewish people should “forgive Hitler”.
In 2023, he apologised, blaming alcohol for his behaviour. In January of this year, he shared a new apology and updated his Wall Street Journal, “to those I’ve hurt,” letter.
