As sponsors pull out from London’s Wireless Festival over headliner Ye, its organizer is standing by the rapper formerly known as Kanye West. Festival Republic's managing director, Melvin Benn emphasized forgiveness and second chances in a statement Monday. The rapper formerly known as Kanye West is scheduled to perform for around 150,000 attendees on mid-July. He has drawn widespread condemnation in recent years for antisemitic remarks and expressing admiration for Adolf Hitler but apologized in January. Sponsors like Pepsi and Diageo have withdrawn from the festival but Benn noted Ye's music is widely accessible and emphasized the focus on performance, not opinions.
