Kanye West (source: TASR/AP)
Ye, the pioneering rapper and producer formerly known as Kanye West, is coming to Bratislava. Known for tracks like “Flashing Lights”, “Heartless” and “Gold Digger”, the 48-year-old artist has, in recent years, become equally infamous for incendiary antisemitic statements, including a song released on 8 May 2025, the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, titled “Heil Hitler”.
His appearance at Rubicon Festival in the second half of July will be his first headline performance in Europe in more than a decade.
The three-day hip-hop festival began in Nitra in 2022 and has quickly grown into a major event. Presale tickets went live on Sunday evening, with standard camping passes selling for €200 and VIP weekend tickets costing up to €489. Organisers claim tens of thousands have already been sold, with more expected.
(source: Platform X)
The Slovak Spectator spoke to 20-year-old Hugo Varga, one of Rubicon’s main organisers. He launched the first edition of the festival aged just 16, originally envisioning it as a single-day platform for Slovak hip-hop talent. Since then, it has evolved into a multi-day event showcasing artists from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and the United States.
