Ye's London Festival Booking Under Fire

0:00It's April 6th. This is Music News Today, driven by AI following the sound in real-time. Kanye West, now going by Y-Away, just got announced as the headliner for all three nights of London's wireless festival in Finnsbury Park this July. But former chancellor Sajeet Javid is leading the charge against it, calling the booking straight-up disgraceful and predicting the home secretary will. Block Y-Away from even entering the UK if organizers don't cancel. Pepsi, the festival's main sponsor, already pulled their support over the weekend, and now Diagio, behind brands like Johnny Walker, followed suit. Javid reposted that news, slamming how this normalizes hate on a major stage. Prime Minister Kierstarmer called it deeply concerning, given YAA's past antisemitic rants and nods to Nazism. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said it clashes with the city's values, and Jewish groups like the leadership council are piling on, worried about the message, to young fans.

1:00Y-Away's troubles kicked off in 2022, with wild social media posts praising Hitler and fueling hate, costing him deals with Adidas, his, label, and more. He apologized in 2023, blamed booze, but retracted it last year, even calling himself a Nazi before backpedaling again with rabbi, meetings, and ads. Organizers have a tight window to drop him, or the home office could deny entry under rules against extremism that threaten society. Y-Away's kicking off his tour without addressing it directly, telling crowds to put it behind them, but the pressure is mounting fast.