According to NME, Florida Senator Rick Scott has called for the cancellation of Kanye West’s upcoming performances at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, citing the artist’s long history of antisemitic statements and actions. In a letter sent to the Tampa Sports Authority on June 5, Scott argued that allowing West, who is now known as Ye, to perform at a taxpayer-supported venue would be a “slap in the face” to Florida’s Jewish community.

Scott’s letter highlighted several of Ye’s past controversies, including his public praise of Nazis, statements identifying himself as a Nazi, and the sale of white T-shirts featuring black swastikas through his website. The senator stated that the artist’s remarks have contributed to the normalization of antisemitism and pointed to the backlash Ye has received from political figures and members of the public across the political spectrum.

The controversy surrounding the Florida performances comes amid a turbulent period in Ye’s return to live performances. His planned European tour has faced significant opposition due to his previous antisemitic remarks, with multiple concerts in countries including the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Poland and France being canceled. Earlier this year, the artist also reignited criticism after retracting a previous apology to the Jewish community and once again making antisemitic statements online.

Ye’s history of antisemitic controversies dates back to 2022, when a series of offensive social media posts led to the suspension of his accounts and the loss of major partnerships with companies such as Adidas and Balenciaga. Although the artist later issued apologies and attributed some of his past behavior to alcohol, additional allegations from former employees and subsequent public statements have continued to draw criticism.

Kanye West has been involved in other deviant behaviour prior to his anti-semantics comments. He lost a copyright infringement lawsuit after a federal jury found that he used an uncleared sample from “MSD PT2” during a 2021 live performance of “Hurricane” in Atlanta. West and his companies were ordered to pay about $432,306 in total.