Rubicon Festival in Bratislava, Slovakia, has been called off following public backlash thatKanye West was set to perform.
The American rapper, known as Ye, who is 48 years old, has been a subject of debate for a long time.
Posing as a 'Nazi' and postingantisemitic content on Twitter to recently facing allegations of sex trafficking and sexual assault, there are numerous reasons why the singer is controversial.
In May, the musician unveiled a track called Heil Hitler that concludes with a clip from a speech byAdolf HitlerIn 1935, in the original German. Hitler speaks in German during the speech: 'Stand up for me as I have stood up for you.'
The track was prohibited in Germany under hate speech regulations and was taken down from most prominent music services.
Since the song's release, artists have been withdrawing from the Rubicon Festival, to the disappointment of fans signing a petitionin opposition to the gig, describing Ye as a main act as 'an insult to historical memory, a celebration of wartime violence, and a degradation of all victims of the Nazi regime.'
Amid significant backlash, the event has been called off.
The Slovak festival stated on July 10 that the whole event was canceled because of 'unforeseen situations' and 'external influences'.
The festival announced on social media'It is with sadness that we have to announce: the Rubicon Festival will not be held this year.
This was not a simple choice. Owing to media influence and the departure of various artists and collaborators, we could not provide the festival with the level of quality that you deserve.
We sincerely appreciate your support and confidence. For individuals who have bought tickets, kindly wait – details regarding refunds will be emailed to you within 14 days.
This isn't the conclusion of Rubicon. We aren't surrendering. We are already striving to return more powerful.
The hip-hop event in Bratislava was scheduled for the weekend of July 18-20, but some artists and sponsors pulled out due to the participation of the controversial rapper.
Kanye was scheduled to take the stage on Sunday, July 20, alongside Malik Montana and Kontrafakt in the Sunday performance lineup.
Other major performers over the weekend were Ken Carson, Offset, and Sheck Wes.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that the musician hadbanned from Australia, where his wife Bianca Censori hails from.
The musician was granted a 'lower-level' visa that has since been canceled due to the release of his song in May.
The nation's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated to ABC: 'He has been visiting Australia for a long time.'
He has family here, and he has made numerous offensive remarks that my officials have reviewed once more.
After he released the Heil Hitler song, he no longer holds a valid visa in Australia.
It wasn't a visa intended for performances. It was a less significant one, and the officials still reviewed the law and stated, you're going to have a song and promote that kind of Nazism, we don't want that in Australia.
It remains uncertain whether this restriction is permanent, since visas are evaluated on a case-by-case basis when the application is received.
Daily News has contacted Kanye West's representatives for a statement.