A representative for Kanye ‘Ye’ West said that the rapper has been barred from performing at the Grammy awards next month due to “concerning online behavior.”  The decision came shortly after Ye was suspended from Instagram for 24 hours; the platform said content on Ye’s account was in violation of its policies on “hate speech and bullying and harassment”.

The Grammys is to take place April 3 in Los Angeles. West is up for five awards this year; he has previously won 22 Grammys and has been nominated 75 times throughout his career.  Neither West, nor The Recording Academy, have publicly commented on the situation.

Rapper The Game defended West in an Instagram post, saying: “The Grammys have at the last minute decided to pull @kanyewest from performing on the show as if we didn’t know it was coming. Could be because @trevornoah is hosting and there was a conversation held amongst his team & the academy that led to the decision or because Ye’s account was suspended just days ago for reasons unknown especially in a world where all the negativities of the world can be found on the same app with no repercussions or suspensions. We’ll just say it’s all of the above & a continuous disrespect for us & all that we have brought to the table in entertainment, media & sports over the last 100 years especially.”

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