The rap festival, which offers what the organizers claim, has been cancelled by American rapper Kanye West, who claims to be the only performance in Europe this year.
Organizers of the Slovakian Rubicon Festival announced that the event scheduled for the next weekend has been cancelled “due to external pressure and logistical challenges.”
The protest group had organized a petition for West’s appearance due to the anti-Semitism and pro-Nazi statements he made in recent years.
Meanwhile, Slovak Media revealed that the venue is still an unharvested wheat field on the outskirts of Bratislava.
Slovak rap artists began to pull out, followed by one of the two organizers. Finally, West himself – now officially known as Ye – has removed an Instagram post to announce the concert.
The festival’s Instagram account stated:
“This was not an easy decision. Due to media pressure and the withdrawal of some artists and partners, we were unable to offer the festival with the standard of quality you deserve.”
West effectively brought his own cancellation in the mainstream music industry by posting a series of anti-Semitic Tyrades, declaring the Nazis and releasing a song called Heil Hitler, who praised the Nazi leader.
Shortly after its release in May, West claimed it “ends in anti-Semitism,” and released a new version of Heil Hitler’s title. The new song was replaced by lyrics relating to Christianity, replacing previous references to Nazism.