Following a series of bizarre on-stage outbursts, Kanye West has cancelled the remainder of his Saint Pablo Tour. A rep who spoke to Consequence of Sound confirmed that all remaining shows have been cancelled, and refunds are available at the point of purchase.
Kanye’s recent on-stage behavior has been concerning to fans. Recently, during a show in San Jose, the rapper expressed his support for Donald Trump as fans booed. One fan, in the ultimate sign of disrespect, threw their Yeezy sneakers at the singer. While Ye caught a lot of flack for supporting a president widely regarded as a racist and xenophobe, it’s his outburst over the weekend that was the most concerning.
During Saturday’s concert in Sacremento, Kanye performed just four songs before he launched into another tirade. This time he questioned President Obama’s blackness, called out Beyoncé for allegedly only playing the MTV Music Awards if she won Video of the Year, and insinuated that Jay Z had hitmen who were coming for his head. Even Snoop Dogg publicly questioned what the heck Kanye was doing.
Kanye’s outburts have lead many to question his mental health, and as it turns out, ‘Ye may be suffering from an untreated, diagnosed mental disorder. According to Malik Yusef, the five-time Grammy Award winner who happens to be Kanye’s mentor, the Life Of Pablo rapper has a mental illness.
In an interview with Drea O, Yusef admitted that sometimes Kanye is hard to work with and his erratic behavior is because of his “beautiful mind.”
“It’s always the same, working with Kanye, you know, it’s always very difficult, it’s always a task of great arduity, it’s always an argument it’s always a fight,” he said. “Sometimes even a genius needs to have direction. Sometimes it’s hard to give a brain that big and that powerful some directions.”
According to Yusef, Kanye has been diagnosed with a mental illness, though he doesn’t reveal which one. Kanye also refuses to take medication to help his illness.
“[Kanye] doesn’t take his medication because he chooses not to, and I applaud him for that. Whatever they prescribe you for like bipolar or schizophrenia, whatever they diagnosed him as but that doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “You know, they can diagnose you as all kind of stuff, that doesn’t mean you have to adhere to those principles. And Kanye doesn’t adhere to it.”
So, before you make fun of Kanye for his strange (and frankly very Kanye-esque) outbursts, it’s important to consider that maybe he’s actually suffering and his mental illness has become too much for him to handle while on the road. Kayne’s family has recently been through a lot of stress with Kim Kardashian’s robbery, so it’s completely understandable that anyone would feel a bit more on edge than usual. We just hope Kanye gets the help he needs.
