Rapper Ye stages first major US concert since 2021, hoping to wash away his sins

INGLEWOOD, California – For more than two hours on the night of April 1, Ye, the American rapper formerly known as Kanye West, performed on a futuristic orb-like stage that was at times illuminated to resemble a spinning globe.

For that finite amount of time, his half-decade of anti-Semitic and racist controversies did not seem to matter to him or his followers. Instead, he appeared on top of the world.

The smell of smoke from erupting fireworks, the glare of lights from lasers and fans’ lyrical chants to his nostalgic hits seemed to blot out, however momentarily, the sins that cost him lucrative business deals and tarnished his legacy as a musician and cultural figure.

For Ye and his devotees, the concert was perhaps the first high-profile moment of a dedicated rebranding as the artiste, producer and fashion designer tries to repair his image.

The 48-year-old’s performance at SoFi Stadium, near Los Angeles, was the first in a pair of concerts at the venue tied to the release of his new album Bully (2026). He was scheduled to headline there again on April 3.

The concert was considered his first full domestic live show since 2021, though he hosted listening parties in 2024. Ye performed in Mexico City in January 2026 and is scheduled to appear in England, Italy and Spain this summer. The slate is being promoted as his reintroduction to prominent stages after becoming an industry pariah.

The show in the US came a little over two months after Ye took out an advertisement in The Wall Street Journal saying he regretted his recent anti-Semitic behaviour and hoped to be forgiven by “those I’ve hurt”.

His bookings had dried up and Adidas, which had manufactured his popular Yeezy clothing brand, had terminated its contract with him. He also finalised his divorce from American reality star Kim Kardashian, with whom he has four children. (Their oldest daughter, North West, 12, was a surprise performer during the April 1 show, along with American rapper Don Toliver).

In January, Ye attributed his behaviour to untreated bipolar disorder, during a period he had stopped taking medication. During his show, he did not address his controversies. His only commentary came as he repeatedly scolded stage technicians when he did not like the pace of the lighting.

“Is this an SNL (Saturday Night Live) skit or something?” Ye said as the crowd laughed. “Stop doing the vibrating Vegas lights, bro. We went over this in rehearsal.”

The stage, which at the time was lit up to resemble the Moon, reverted to Earth. Throughout the night, he not only swayed to the beat of the rhythms, but also took long dramatic pauses as he stood atop the orb (to which he was harnessed) and embraced cheers from the crowd.

The set list included songs from Bully, whose lyrics could allude to his conduct. On the track Father, he rapped: “Bye-bye to my old self / Wake up to the new me.”

But the concert also featured some of his most recognisable works, such as Blood On The Leaves (2013) and Jesus Walks (2004). Chants of “Yeezy!” echoed throughout the arena, which a spokesperson for the venue later said was sold out, with 68,000 fans in attendance.

Two fans on the stadium’s floor section wore mortarboards, a nod to Ye’s 2007 album Graduation, which won the Grammy for best rap album. Before and after the show, supporters lined up to buy branded merchandise, including clothing emblazoned with the cover art for “Bully” – a tight, black-and-white shot of a grinning mouth.

In an e-mailed statement before the concert, Mr David Englin, senior regional director for the Anti-Defamation League Los Angeles, said: “Ye’s apologies do not automatically undo his long history of anti-Semitism. We hope he uses this platform, and others provided to him in the future, for good instead of spreading hate.”

But those in attendance who have stood by Ye have long said they separate his music from his actions.

“His music never did nothing to us,” said Mr Julian Caratachea, 20, adding that he hoped the concert would propel Ye to stage more live events.

“As long as you’re here for the music and you’re not here just on your opinion of something, then that’s all that matters. That’s what’s going to bring us together – the music.” NYTIMES