Thousands Petition For Kanye West's Removal From Glastonbury Music Festival
Tens of thousands of rock fans have signed a petition requesting organizers to remove Kanye West, who is scheduled to perform at the Glastonbury Music Festival in three months.
Nearly 60,000 music fans have petitioned to have Kanye West removed from the roster of performers who will headline the Glastonbury Music Festival in Somerset, England from June 24 to 28.
While the American hip hop artist is not known to endear himself to fans, he has apparently earned the ire of rock enthusiasts from "across the pond" after they lobbied for festival organizers to replace West's act from the lineup.
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"Kanye West is an insult to music fans all over the world," Neil Lonsdale, who spearheaded the petition has said. "This egotistical, maniacal, disgrace was a clear oversight. There is still time to correct this."
The petition, which began earlier in the week, was initially thought to be a joke. However, it snowballed into thousands of petitioners complaining West's hip hop repertoire did not represent the rock music typically played at the popular annual festival.
Other protesters pointed out West did not have a big enough act to headline Glastonbury, an event considered a rock performance institution in the UK. Another recalled how West disrespected fellow American singer Beck when the latter won the Album of the Year at last month's 57th Grammy Awards.
A majority of the petition signers were more upset at the rapper's attitude rather than the genre of music he played. West is the first rap artist signed on to headline Glastonbury since Jay-Z's 2008 performance in the festival.
The sold-out festival will feature West performing together with other contemporary artists like Lionel Richie and the Foo Fighters.
