Kanye West was not among the first wave of Grammy performers earlier this week, and he won’t be added to the show’s lineup as a rep for the rapper confirmed reports that West has been barred from performing at the April 3 event.
Rapper the Game, West’s cohort on “Eazy,” first mentioned on social media that the Grammys made a “last minute” decision to pull West from performing at the ceremony, where West’s Donda is among the finalists for Album of the Year along with other nominations.
“The Grammys have at the last minute decided to pull [Kanye West] from performing on the show as if we didn’t know it was coming,” the Game wrote on Instagram Friday.
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“Could be because [Trevor Noah, who Kanye lashed out at on Instagram before his account was suspended and scrubbed clean] is hosting and there was a conversation held amongst his team & the academy that led to the decision or because Ye’s account was suspended just days ago for reasons unknown, especially in a world where all the negativities of the world can be found on the same app with no repercussions or suspensions…”
When asked for comment on the Game’s Instagram post, a rep for West told Rolling Stone that “This is confirmed” and linked to a report by the Blast where sources said West’s Grammy performance was “scrapped” due to “concerning online behavior.”
A representative for the Recording Academy did not respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment at press time. Despite reassuming control of his Instagram following his 24-hour ban, West has not yet posted about the Grammys situation.
Concerns over a potential confrontation between Noah and West also concerned producers, the Blast reported; Noah had previously commented about West’s tirades aimed at ex-wife Kim Kardashian, “I’ll be honest with you — what I see from the situation is a woman who wants to live her life without being harassed by an ex-boyfriend or an ex-husband or an ex-anything.” West responded with a racial slur which ultimately sparked his Instagram suspension.
Billie Eilish, BTS, Olivia Rodrigo, Brandi Carlile, Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow will be among the performers to take that stage at the the 64th Grammys, taking place April 3 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
From Rolling Stone US
