Days after Kanye West had his Instagram account suspended for violating policies on the platform, it appears the controversial rapper has been pulled from the Grammy lineup.
A lengthy message from his friend and fellow rapper The Game indicated that West was removed as a performer “last minute,” with The Game bringing up the fact that Trevor Noah is hosting the ceremony.
The Game’s claims arrive after West shared several Instagram posts earlier this week, with one of those including a racial slur used toward Noah.
The Game reveals Kanye West was removed as Grammy performer
According to rapper The Game, 22-time Grammy winner Kanye West is out of the lineup of performers at the upcoming Grammy Awards show. The Game shared a lengthy message on Instagram in which he alluded to the possible reasons for West’s removal and blasted their decision.
“Time & time again they show us that they only want to STEAL the culture, not allow you to ever be their equals,” The Game wrote. “In a more than obvious move for reasons of minuscule actions…. The Grammys have at the last minute decided to pull @kanyewest from performing on the show as if we didn’t know it was coming.
“Could be because @trevornoah is hosting and there was a conversation held amongst his team & the academy that led to the decision or because Ye’s account was suspended days ago for reasons unknown especially in a world where all the negativities of the world can be found on the same app with no repercussions or suspensions,” he wrote in an Instagram caption shown below.
He went on to say that it’s a “continuous disrespect” toward individuals who brought a lot to the entertainment, media, and sports world in the past 100 years.
“Speak your mind in this country for yourself, family or your people & you’re ostracized immediately and & if you push them hard enough they will stop at no ends to try and put an end to you as a whole,” he wrote.
The Game went on to say he may be the “next account suspended for speaking freely on an app created for us to equally share as humans.”
Kanye’s IG account suspended after slur in post about Noah
It’s unconfirmed if Kanye West’s removal from the lineup of Grammy performers is due to his attack toward The Daily Show host Trevor Noah, who is hosting this year’s show. However, this past Wednesday, Kanye West had his Instagram account suspended for 24 hours after various posts he shared aimed at Pete Davidson, D.L. Hughley, and Noah.
He called out Hughley’s fashion sense, Davidson’s 2019 offensive jokes about babies, and directed a slur toward Trevor Noah. That post arrived after Noah brought up West’s behavior toward Kim Kardashian and her boyfriend Pete Davidson in a segment on The Daily Show, calling it “terrifying to watch.”
West’s post directed toward Noah repeatedly referred to him as “k**n,” which Urban Dictionary defines as “a Black person who is anti-Black.” A spokesperson for Meta, the parent company of Instagram, indicated West was suspended due to violating their policies on hate speech, harassment, and bullying.
Following West’s post using the slur, Noah took the high road in responding to the rapper’s attack. He brought up the impact and influence that Kanye West has had on him, saying the rapper has been an “indelible” part of his life.
“I thought differently about how I spent my money because of you, I learned to protect my child-like creativity from grown thoughts because of you, s*** I still smile every time I put on a seatbelt because of you,” he said in part of his response, adding that it breaks his heart to see Kanye “like this.”
“You have every right to fight for your family. But you have to know the difference between that and fighting your family,” Noah said.
The first performers for the Grammy Awards were originally announced on March 15 and included Olivia Rodrigo, Jack Harlow, Lil Nas X, Brandi Carlile, BTS, and Billie Eilish. West had a public spat with Eilish after she stopped her concert to make sure a fan was alright and made a comment that West felt was aimed at his friend Travis Scott and the 2021 Astroworld Festival tragedy.
West may no longer be one of the performers, but he still has several Grammy nominations as of this report. Those include nominations for Rap Album of the Year and Album of the Year for Donda.
The 64th Annual Grammy Awards will be Trevor Noah’s second time as host. The event takes place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 3, 2022.