American rapper Kanye West was rejected after asking to perform at a Premier League stadium this year. West, 48, has sparked controversy in the United Kingdom after it was announced he would headline three nights at Wireless Festival in July.
Pepsi have already pulled its sponsorship from the London-based festival due to Kanye's scheduled appearance. The controversy surrounds previous anti-semitic comments made by the hip-hop star.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has already expressed that he is 'deeply concerned' that West is set to perform at Wireless. The English politician claimed West had been booked 'despite his previous anti-semitic remarks and celebration of Nazism.'
Stating that the country has a duty to ensure the Jewish community feel safe, Starmer said that antisemitism should be 'confronted firmly'. Per The Sun on Sunday, the 63-year-old said:
"Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears.
"Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe."
Kanye West Refused Premier League Stadium Show
West wasn't only looking to perform at the festival at Finsbury Park, North London. It's his first gig in the UK since he headlined Glastonbury in 2015. However, he was stopped from appearing at one of the biggest stadiums in the Premier League.
A source told The Sun: "Kanye's team had wanted him to play a run of shows at Tottenham before they considered Wireless." As part of the rapper's 'music comeback', West's team picked out the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a string of shows before being rejected. The source added:
“As part of his big music comeback, they thought he warranted a headline run of shows and chose the Tottenham Stadium as their venue of choice.
“But when they approached Tottenham with their proposal, the club rejected it."
"There was no way they would allow Kanye to perform at the club given its history with the Jewish community," it was confirmed. Due to Spurs' strong ties to the Jewish community, West was forced to seek out Wireless as a backup plan: "They then made the proposal to Wireless, which was accepted."
West has previously caused outrage after he released a track entitled Heil Hitler, and sold T-shirts bearing a swastika. Pepsi, the main sponsor for Wireless, released a statement withdrawing from the partnership. A spokesperson for the global brand said: