France’s interior minister is seeking to block US rapper Kanye West from performing in the southern city of Marseille in June due to his antisemitic remarks, a source close to the minister told AFP on Tuesday.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez is “highly determined” to ban the June 11 concert at Marseille’s Velodrome stadium and is exploring “all possibilities”, the source said.

West, 48, has been heavily criticised for making antisemitic remarks and voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler.

Britain has blocked the US rapper, also known as Ye, from entering the country due to his outbursts, prompting organisers of a festival he was to headline to cancel the July event. Prime Minister Keir Starmer had called booking West “deeply concerning.”


But Dutch Asylum and Migration Minister Bart van den Brink said last week there were no plans as yet to bar the rapper from the Netherlands.

The French source said Nunez had discussed the possible concert ban with the regional prefect and the mayor of Marseille during his visit to the city last week.

Last month, Benoit Payan, the left-wing mayor, said he opposed the controversial performer’s visit, saying he refused “to allow Marseille to be a showcase for those who promote hatred”.

In May 2025, the rapper released a song called “Heil Hitler”, months after advertising a swastika t-shirt for sale on his website.

The song was banned by major streaming platforms. West subsequently expressed regret for his conduct, blaming it on his bipolar disorder.

Singer Kingsley Okonkwo, popularly known as Kcee, has revealed how being snubbed by award organisers affected him and how he was able to overcome the psychological impact.

Speaking in an episode of the Echo Room podcast, the Limpopo crooner disclosed that award snub affects him to the point of shedding tears.

Kcee explained that with time, he learned how to enjoy the support of fans and stop chasing the validations of award organisers.

He said, “Initially, the music industry wasn’t giving me recognition. The fans were the ones supporting me. I wasn’t being nominated for awards. I cried. I was pained.

“But eventually, I grew a thick skin not to worry about awards. Right now, whether I win or they don’t nominate me, I don’t care.”

He added that the benefits of the support of his fans are more rewarding than accolades.

Nigerian singer Kcee has revealed that years of being overlooked by award organizers in the industry once left him deeply hurt, despite his consistent contributions to Afrobeats.

Speaking during an interview with Afrobeats Intelligence, the singer shared that the lack of recognition from award bodies affected him emotionally, even bringing him to tears at one point in his career.

According to him, while his work resonated strongly with fans, it often failed to receive the same acknowledgment from industry gatekeepers.


“I grew up in an industry that wasn’t fair to me. There wasn’t any attention given to me at any moment. I was doing a lot that the industry wasn’t recognising,” he said.

Kcee explained that he has since developed a different mindset, choosing to focus less on awards and more on the impact of his music.

He noted that he now prioritizes “rewards” such as fan support and global reach over formal recognition.

“The fans were the ones who were behind me. I did a lot of work; they were not nominating me for awards. And I cried; I was pained.

“Right now, when I win awards, or you don’t nominate me, I don’t care. I prefer the rewards to the awards,” he stated.

Reflecting on a turning point in his career, the artist highlighted the massive success of his hit song Limpopo, which he described as a breakthrough moment that pushed him onto the international stage.

He expressed gratitude for the global attention the track attracted, especially after years of hard work.

Kcee also pointed to the viral success of Ojapiano, noting its rapid rise on TikTok, where it generated significant user engagement within days of release.

He emphasized that the song’s organic popularity, including its views by international audiences, reaffirmed his belief in the value of genuine fan connection over industry validation.

“So, when ‘Limpopo’ came, oh, I was in tears. I was like, no, God has answered my prayer. He took me to the global market straight.

“After all the years I’ve worked with Presh, that’s like the biggest record I’ve ever done. I dropped ‘Ojapiano’ like today, the next day, it was doing 120,000 videos on TikTok in one day. And it happened for seven days non-stop. That’s organic. The white people were vibing to it,” he added.