Kanye West & Lady Gaga Just Stop Country Tour Of Hot Interview
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A U.S. and Canada tour by Kanye West and Lady Gaga has been canceled with no reason given just weeks after the rap star came under public fire for humiliating country star Taylor Swift at an awards ceremony.
Concert promoter Live Nation said in a statement on Thursday that the "Fame Kills" tour, that was due to kick off in Phoenix, Arizona on November 10 and run through January, had been canceled with refunds available at the point of sale.
West came under fire after an outburst at the MTV Video Music wards when he grabbed the microphone as country teen star Taylor Swift was responding to her best female video award to say that R&B star Beyonce should have won Swift's trophy.
The Grammy winner has since apologized to Swift and expressed regret twice on the Web and in a TV appearance on "The Jay Leno Show" for his behavior that drew boos from the crowd and prompted a ban of his music by some radio stations in California and Florida.
The Fame Kills tour was set to begin in Phoenix next month and continue until January next year. However, promoter Live Nation announced yesterday that the concerts would no longer go ahead. A reason has not yet been given, although those who bought tickets will be refunded.
It's been a turbulent few weeks for West, who was heavily criticised for his behaviour at the MTV VMA awards in New York last month. The rapper invaded the stage as country star Taylor Swift picked up an award, grabbing the mic to say: "Taylor, I'mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time ..." Criticism was so rife that even President Obama called West a "jackass". The rapper later made a shame-faced appearance on The Jay Leno Show where he attributed his behaviour to the fact that he hasn't had time to grieve for his mother, who died in 2007.
When 50 Cent called himself the "greatest show on Earth" during a radio interview on Wednesday, he wasn't kidding about the circus reference.
The G-Unit rapper held court on a number of topics with Angie Martinez on New York's Hot 97, from Kanye West and Lady Gaga's joint tour to Jay-Z to his possible plans to hang up the mic. The interview was lively, at times insulting and often confusing.
