Kanye West’s headline slot at Wireless Festival this year has sparked backlash, with leading sponsor Pepsi MAX pulling out of being associated with the event
Kanye West’s “shock” booking for Wireless Festival could face another setback. The rapper has sparked backlash since it was revealed he would be headlining all three nights of Wireless this year.
West, known as Ye, hasn’t performed in the UK since he headlined Glastonbury Festival 11 years ago. But while he was once one of the most decorated musicians, the decision to host him at Finsbury Park has sparked controversy, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling it “deeply concerning”.
However, in recent days, the leading sponsor, Pepsi MAX, informed The Mirror that they had decided not to be associated with the festival in the wake of booking West. The festival was titled “Pepsi MAX presents Wireless Festival.” Diageo, the company behind Captain Morgan and Johnnie Walker, has also pulled out of the association.
Reports claim West had hoped to perform a string of shows at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium, but bosses swiftly said no, given their association with London’s Jewish community. “It feels there’s an element of shock value in booking Kanye,” celebrity publicist and talent agent Dermot McNamara told the Mirror.
He added: “He hasn’t performed at a festival for a while and I think organisers wanted to capitalise on that, especially as he does remain one of the biggest music artists in the world. However, I think they underestimated the response this would generate, and however big his fame is, his comments are far worse and while there’ll be some who will still buy tickets and love him, the vast majority won’t.”
West has shared antisemitic views on social media, including a post claiming he wanted to “death con 3” on the Jewish community. West also went on to release a track titled Heil Hitler – as well as releasing t-shirts with a swastika on, leading Shopify, which hosted his site, to pull the platform.
Dermot added: “It’s not surprising to see sponsors pull out. The signing of Kanye to the festival was already controversial. Brands want to be associated with PR friendly events that bring people together.
“Festivals are usually a great way of reaching a huge demographic, across various ages, genders, sexualities, races and religions and at some point, Kanye has said something offensive about most groups.”
Reflecting on Pepsi and Diageo pulling out, Dermot of Candid Publicity stated: “Brands are extremely important to festivals, as they will often provide much-needed cash flow to put on the show in the first place. There’s a mutual benefit from generating coverage and clicks on social media.
“There’s an entire industry built around which festivals brands sponsor. Depending on the scale of the relationship, brands will often have a say in which artists get booked, but in this instance, it’s fair to say they weren’t happy with Kanye being booked. Another element to this issue will now be safety. Given Kanye has offended many communities, can his safety or festivalgoers’ safety, or the safety of locals in the area, who may be affected by his views, be guaranteed?”
A source told the Mirror previously: “Following the mounting backlash surrounding the announcement and Sir Keir Starmer speaking out, Pepsi’s position as festival sponsor became untenable. Festivals are about bringing people together; the only decision was to withdraw with Kanye West topping the bill.”
“Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears,” Keir said. “Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe.”
A spokesperson for Haringey Council said: “Festival Republic, who are the licensee responsible for hosting the event, must meet several conditions. This includes ensuring performing acts do not offend or denigrate any race or religion and we’ll be seeking assurances from Festival Republic that they’ll be reminding all artists of this condition prior to them performing this summer.”
West has since apologised for antisemitic comments in a full-page advert hosted by the Wall Street Journal. He said he was in a “four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life.” In his letter, he said he wasn’t looking for “sympathy or a free pass,” adding that he wanted to “earn forgiveness”.
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