Kanye West returns to the stage for the first time since his anti-Semitic remarks

Travis Scott gave a concert at the Circus Maximus in Rome on Monday August 7 for the launch of his fourth album Utopia (2023). During the show, the audience was surprised to see Kanye West, now called Ye, join the rapper on stage. The two artists have taken together songs with worldwide success. The duo notably sang the hits Can't Tell Me Nothing (Graduation, 2007) and Praise God (Donda, 2021). “There is no Utopia without Kanye West. There is no Travis Scott without Kanye West. There is no Rome without Kanye West,” Travis Scott chanted to the crowd just before Ye arrived on stage.

It was Kanye West's first appearance on stage since his series of anti-Semitic remarks in the fall of 2022. Following his remarks, Ye's profiles had been banned from some social networks. His account on the X platform, formerly Twitter, was however recently reactivated according to Elon Musk's wishes. The American rapper had also lost numerous partnership contracts with Balenciaga, Gap and Adidas.

Travis Scott was originally scheduled to present Utopia on its release day, July 28, 2023, during a sensational show at the Pyramids of Giza. The concert was eventually canceled two days before it was scheduled for "production issues". He had announced on his official website to plan another date “very soon” in Pompeii, Italy. Eventually, the thousands of fans gathered at the Circus Maximus, once the largest chariot race track in the Roman Empire. A nod to the eponymous film directed by the American rapper and Gaspar Noé, released at the same time as his album.