US rapper and producer Kanye West gestures upon arriving at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on July 11, 2025. HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP
The mayor of France's second-biggest city, Marseille, said on Wednesday, March 4, that Kanye West was "not welcome" after the music star known for his antisemitic rants announced a concert in June. The 24-time Grammy winner has lost fans and business deals in recent years over racist or antisemitic outbursts, releasing a song titled "Heil Hitler" last May to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
The concert at the city-owned Velodrome stadium, scheduled for June 11 and for which the box office is not yet open, is West's only French date. Socialist mayor Benoît Payan said the 48-year-old hip-hop star was "not welcome" in the southern city. "I refuse to let Marseille be a showcase for those who promote hatred and unabashed Nazism," he posted on X.
Subscribers only
Kanye West praises Hitler and embarrasses the Republican Party
