Controversial rapper Kanye West set to perform in Tbilisi in June

Kanye West concert in Tbilisi

On 12 June 2026, US rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, is due to perform in Tbilisi as part of the government-funded “Starring Georgia” project. The rapper has faced controversy over antisemitic remarks. Ticket prices have not yet been announced.

His most recent major shows took place in Los Angeles on 1 and 3 April 2026. The concerts marked his return to the stage after an almost five-year break and focused on his new album Bully.

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In recent years, attention around Ye has focused largely on a series of controversies. The most serious involved the Wireless Festival, scheduled to take place in London in 2026, where he had been announced as the headline act:

• sponsors including Pepsi and Diageo withdrew after the festival’s decision,
• UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly criticised the organisers,
• on 7 April 2026, the UK Home Office suspended Ye’s right to enter the country, leading organisers to cancel the festival altogether.

British authorities linked the decision to several of Ye’s actions in recent years, including:

• the release in 2025 of the song Heil Hitler, which included a sample from a 1935 speech by Adolf Hitler,
• the sale of T-shirts featuring swastikas on his website,
• announcements about a track titled “Gas Chamber”, which triggered strong criticism from Jewish groups.

In an apparent attempt to defuse the controversy, Ye published a letter in the Wall Street Journal in January 2026 titled “To Those I Hurt”, in which he linked his actions to bipolar disorder.

In 2023, Ye publicly apologised in Hebrew for antisemitic remarks. However, he later distanced himself from the apology and again made provocative statements in 2025.

During the controversy surrounding Wireless Festival, he also said he wanted to meet representatives of Britain’s Jewish community to show that he had changed his position. However, the UK government said these steps were not sufficient.

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Ye’s next concert is scheduled for 23 May 2026 in India, after which the tour is expected to continue in Turkey and other European countries.

However, following the developments in the UK, questions are increasingly being raised about whether other countries could introduce similar restrictions. Concerts scheduled for June in Poland and Switzerland have already been cancelled.

Kanye West at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, 11 July 2025. Photo: Hector Retamal / AFP/Getty Images.

Kanye West concert in Tbilisi