In his comeback into the public spotlight, Kanye West drew a massive crowd for his big comeback concert in Istanbul, Turkey. “I just want to tell y’all, we just broke the record of 118,000, largest stadium performance of all time,” he told the crowd.
This doesn’t hold completely true, as Croatian singer Marko Perković sold 504,000 tickets in Zagreb, Croatia. Additionally, it doesn’t account for American artists either. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band sold 160k tickets in 1988 during a stop in Berlin, Germany. However, Ye does hold the biggest crowd for any rapper across the world.
Atop a massive globe, Kanye West performed a litany of hits from across his career, while also playing his latest tracks from BULLY. According to the Chicago legend, the globe was symbolic for him and represented a new, meaningful start. “Coming back standing on top of the world after everything we’ve been through, just to come back on top of the world,” Ye smiled in a conversation with Plaqueboymax on stream.
Kanye West Performs ‘On Top of the World’ During Massive Concert in Turkey
While Ye was taking over Turkey, Jay-Z seemingly took shots at his former friend and collaborator. During a freestyle at the Roots Picnic, he sent some shots that fans speculate were about Kanye West.
“You ever heard of wonder-kin? My children are some of them, have you n***as have no shame? You really wanna get under my skin? I’ll really get under ya skin, ask Un how I’m playing,” he raps. “Y’all thugs with y’all thumb again, everybody thinks they’re the ones insane, you’re no maniac, watch how he sane he acts in my presence, n***as shrink.“
While Turkey happily hosted Kanye West, other places weren’t so warmly inviting. The Graduation rapper postponed his show in France “until further notice” to avoid any issues with the country. “I know it takes time to understand the sincerity of my commitment to make amends. I take full responsibility for what’s mine but I don’t want to put my fans in the middle of it. My fans are everything to me,” he wrote in a statement. “Looking forward to the next shows. See you at the top of the globe.”
Additionally, an entire festival was cancelled after London prohibited Kanye West from entering the country. “As a result of the Home Office banning YE from entering the United Kingdom, Wireless Festival has been forced to cancel. All ticket holders will receive an automatic full refund,” the promoters said in a statement back in April.
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