Music
Festival Republic head Melvin Benn has asked critics of Kanye West’s headline booking at Wireless Festival to show “forgiveness”.
The American artist – now known simply as YE – has been controversially unveiled as the headline act at this year’s festival, topping the bill on all three nights in Finsbury Park.
The rapper’s recent bouts of controversy include using the swastika in his merch, releasing a song called ‘Heil Hitler’, and stating he was ready “to go death con 3 on Jewish people”. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
In a full statement earlier this year YE asked for forgiveness, and explained that his behaviour was due to serious side effects from bipolar disorder. He subsequently released new studio album ‘Bully’, and made his return to the stage.
Over the weekend, severe criticism was mounted against the booking – brands such as Pepsi, Diageo Brands, Rockstar and more have pulled out of Wireless. PayPal have asked to remove their logo from all communications, while political condemnation has been led by the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
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In a full statement, Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn has asked critics of the booking to show YE “forgiveness”.
The statement reads in full:
I am a deeply committed anti-fascist and have been all my adult life. I lived on a kibbutz for many months in the 1970’s that was attacked on October 7th, am pro Jew and the Jewish state, while being equally committed to a Palestinian state.
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. If I wasn’t before, I have become a person of forgiveness and hope in all aspects of my life, including work.
What Ye has said in the past about Jews and Hitler is as abhorrent to me as it is to the Jewish community, the Prime Minister and others that have commented and – taking him at his word – to Ye now also.
Ye’s music is played on commercial radio stations in this country. It is available via live streams and downloads in this country without comment or vitriol from anyone and he has a legal right to come into the country and to perform in this country. He is intended to come in and perform. We are not giving him a platform to extol opinion of whatever nature, only to perform the songs that are currently played on the radio stations in our country and the streaming platforms in our country and listened to and enjoyed by millions.
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.
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