American rapper Kanye West, known as Ye, has been spotted in Moscow, local media has reported.
A video appeared on social media on Sunday showing a person in a white jumpsuit resembling the Grammy Award-winner making his way into a hotel in the center of the Russian capital. Another clip apparently showed him and his entourage inside a pedestrian underpass near Red Square.
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Shortly afterwards, Kanye appeared to confirm his trip to Russia, posting a short message on the Russian social network VK saying: “Hello, Moscow.”
Earlier reports said the rapper had arrived in the Russian capital to stage a show at the Luzhniki Stadium, the largest venue in Moscow – internationally known for hosting the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and numerous concerts by global stars.
However, the Luzhniki administration told RT that claims of a Kanye concert were “fake news.”
A representative of Russian designer Gosha Rubchinskiy has told RT that Kanye came to Moscow to attend the artist’s birthday party. Rubchinskiy, who was appointed Head of Design for the rapper’s brand Yeezy in December 2023, turned 40 on Saturday.
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The Telegram channel SHOT reported that West and Rubchinskiy were going to take a walk in central Moscow before moving to “some sort of a closed off venue, where access of unauthorized persons will be denied.” The designer has been identified among the people accompanying Kanye in the videos circulated online.
Shortly after the news of Kanye’s trip to Moscow broke, advertisements began popping up online, offering what were presented as tickets for the rapper’s concert in Moscow. They said that the West’s show was to take place at the Luzhniki stadium on July 5 and 6. Prices demanded by the swindlers for the fake tickets varied from 3,600 rubles ($42) to 12,000 rubles ($140). According to media reports, the ads were swiftly removed by the Avito website and other similar platforms.