US rapper Kanye West, widely known as Ye, drew a massive crowd of more than 100,000 fans in Istanbul on Saturday night, marking his first performance in Europe since 2014 despite years of controversy and a wave of cancellations linked to his past antisemitic remarks.
Performing for 118,000 people at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Ye attracted fans from across Europe and the Middle East, according to Türkiye’s state‑run Anadolu Agency. The turnout underscored his enduring global fan base even as he continues to face widespread criticism for comments praising Adolf Hitler and for releasing content featuring Nazi imagery.
The Istanbul concert comes after a turbulent period for the 48‑year‑old artist. In April, the UK denied him entry on the grounds that his presence would not be “conducive to the public good,” forcing the cancellation of a planned appearance at London’s Wireless Festival. A show in Marseille was postponed after reports that French authorities sought to block it, and a concert in Poland was later canceled as well.
Ye is scheduled to perform next in the Netherlands on June 6 and 8, though his European dates have been under constant scrutiny. Much of the backlash intensified following the release of his track “Heil Hitler,” which openly promoted Nazi ideology.
In January, West took out a full‑page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal renouncing his past praise of Hitler and apologizing for his behavior, which he attributed to an undiagnosed brain injury and untreated bipolar disorder. Despite the apology, many governments and venues have continued to distance themselves from the rapper.
His Istanbul performance his first ever in Türkiye suggests that while Ye remains one of the most polarizing figures in global music, his ability to draw enormous crowds has not diminished.
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