American rapper-songwriter Kanye West, who has changed his name to Ye, is all set to headline his first-ever performance in India on March 29.
The performance will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium,
New Delhi. The fans can expect expansive staging, cinematic large-format visuals, precision-engineered acoustics, and a career-spanning setlist that moves seamlessly from early era-defining anthems to contemporary classics.
Kanye’s music is characterised by frequent stylistic shifts and has been credited with paving the way for rappers who did not conform to traditional gangster conventions.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, after dropping out of college to pursue a music career, he became a producer for Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records and garnered recognition for his “chipmunk soul” production style before signing with the label as a recording artist.
His debut studio album, The College Dropout, received acclaim, and his second album, Late Registration, became his first of eleven US Billboard 200 number-one albums. He has five US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles: “Slow Jamz,” “Gold Digger,” “Stronger,” “E.T.” as a featured artist, and “Carnival”, and was the first rapper to top the chart across three decades.
West is one of the bestselling music artists, with 160 million records sold, and the 13th-most awarded artist at the Grammy Awards, with 24 wins. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Rolling Stone listed six of his albums, The College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, 808s and Heartbreak, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Yeezus in its “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list and named him one of the “100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time”.
“We wanted this show to feel monumental, and it is. One night. One performance. The first time ever. We’re making sure more fans have the opportunity to be part of what will be the biggest concert India has ever seen,” said promoter Aman, founder of White Fox.
“India has reached a moment where our ambition, infrastructure, and audiences are aligned with the biggest global productions,” said Sabbas Joseph, Co-Founder and Director, Wizcraft International.
He added, “A first-ever performance by Ye at this scale reflects how far India’s live entertainment ecosystem has evolved and how ready the country is to host landmark events that resonate worldwide.”
