Is Kanye West really doing a concert in Italy?

For a few days now, rumours have been circulating that Kanye West is organising an event at the Rcf Arena in Reggio Emilia, in the Campovolo area. Negotiations are allegedly underway to have the American rapper perform in the city of Reggio Emilia, but the agreement has not yet been made official. Just over ten days ago, Ye reportedly visited the venue that should host his show, and seems to have expressed a positive opinion. The American rapper, reports the Ansa news agency citing local sources, «has already rented cars with tinted windows for transfers in the city, as well as hotels for overnight stays of his crew.»

When is Ye performing at Campovolo?

For Ye's live show, it was thought that the date would be 13 October, but was later postponed due to the lack of a definitive agreement with the organisation and because the timeframe was too tight to guarantee the necessary public order and security measures. The possible dates now would seem to be Friday 20 October or Monday 30. Last July, the Chicago rapper Rooga had confirmed that Ye was working on a new album - which he is currently finalising in Italy, where he is with his partner Bianca Censori - to be premiered in Reggio Emilia. The album may not yet be fully finalised, but as he had done with some of his previous productions - including 2016's The life of Pablo, 2019's Jesus is King and 2021's Donda - Ye would still be inclined to unveil it these days. The British newspaper The Sun writes that the rapper has reportedly already played the record during an intimate session with rapper Ty Dolla $ign, who guested on one track.

Who is Ye today? 

Ye's new album would come about two years after Donda 2, but above all after a long series of controversies that have irreparably dented the US rapper's career and path. He has long been considered a controversial figure, both for his behaviour - which many link to a bipolar personality disorder of which he has often spoken - and for his closeness to the US far-right. About ten years ago, Ye was perhaps the most important hip hop artist in the world, an inspiration in the world of art and music for the African American community. His rise to fame was a real revolution for hip hop. A major innovation introduced by Ye was, for instance, to sample soul tracks, often speeding them up - a technique, this, that took the name 'chipmunk soul', and is still credited to him today. In fact, the US rapper was the one who succeeded in mainstreaming a certain type of hip hop, more 'high' and different from gangsta-rap, at a time when it was unfashionable - selling millions of records and taking his tracks to the top of the charts.

Ye's controversies  

For a few years now, however, West seems to have lost his bearings: he is a big fan of Donald Trump, and is infamous for his muddled speeches and provocative outings - which often wink at the typical ideas of the American alt-right. In particular, he has often demonstrated his belief in conspiracy theories about the influence of Jews on art and culture. «West is not just anyone: he is a pop culture icon with millions of fans around the world. And among them are young people whose opinions are still forming. That is why it is necessary for all of us to raise our voices about this. Hate and anti-Semitism should have no place in our society,» a well-known entrepreneur in the entertainment industry, Ari Emanuel, had written in the Financial Times, asking brands that collaborate with West to break off working relations with him. This actually happened, with considerable damage to his assets. Among others, Adidas and Balenciaga decided to end their relationship with him because of many anti-Semitic and racist phrases he had uttered. Although his records are still appreciated by critics and audiences alike, in recent years there has been a widespread opinion that West is no longer the brilliant and revolutionary artist he was at the beginning of his career, but that in some ways he has become a parody of himself.