Kanye West has reportedly lost over USD $8 million by pulling out of his 2022 Coachella Festival gig.
According to TMZ, the Grammy-winning rapper, now legally known as ‘Ye,’ was due to collect $8 million in addition to a $500,000 production fee for his headline concerts on April 17 and April 24. Though his decision to withdraw from the event appeared to be made at the last minute, reports indicated that Ye had been contemplating leaving for some time.
The publication added that, Kanye’s team was “actively working” with Coachella organizers, but he had yet to seriously rehearse. Coachella producers were reportedly blindsided by Kanye’s decision, and were left scrambling for possible replacements, including acts like Silk Sonic and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
According to Complex, event organizers, on Thursday morning, announced The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia would fill in as the Sunday headliners; however, Page Six reports Abel’s decision to perform didn’t come without some friction as a “music source” told the publication that the Grammy-winning singer threatened to pull out of the festival if he didn’t receive the same payment as Kanye.
Complex added that, Kanye, who was announced as a Coachella headliner nearly two months, threatened to drop out of the festival back in February when he accused Billie Eilish of dissing Travis Scott. The drama began after Eilish had paused a live performance after realizing one of the audience members was struggling to breathe.