Noname will no longer perform at New York City’s SummerStage show. The announcement comes a week after city officials removed Kehlani from the lineup over unclear security concerns.
Noname hoped to perform at the annual concert series in Central Park to celebrate Juneteenth. However, Hellgate confirmed that the June 18 show, with R&B artists Ravyn Lenae and Fana Hues, was scrapped by the concert organizers on Ticketmaster.
According to Rolling Stone, the ticketing site did not provide an exact reason.
The news has sparked concern following another vague cancelation of outspoken artist Kehlani. She was also scheduled to perform for the SummerStage Pride show in June.
Produced by the City Parks Foundation, SummerStage organizers heeded Mayor Eric Adams’ warning that Kehlani’s appearance would raise “safety concerns.” The mayor’s administration referenced Kehlani’s removal from Cornell University’s Slope Day festival over her alleged anti-Semitic and anti-Israel comments and content.
Kehlani, who has publicly called out Israel’s acs in the war against Hamas, took to social media to emphasize that her advocacy for Palestinians does not equate to Jewish hate.
“I am not antisemitic nor am I anti-Jew,” and “I am anti-genocide, I am anti the actions of the Israeli government, I am anti an extermination of an entire people, I’m anti the bombing of innocent children, men, women… that’s what I’m anti.”
As for Noname, the mayor’s office claims it did not have a say in her cancellation, pointing fingers at Live Nation, which coordinates bookings for the event.
Noname is another artist who has never sat silent on social issues. The socialist-leaning rapper from Chicago, through her Noname Book Club, has featured many books on the Israeli occupation of Palestine, including The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi and Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Davis.
In 2021, Noname also called out the United States’ financial backing of Israel to support its military efforts.
“If you don’t understand settler colonialism, annexation and ethnic cleansing, fine,” Noname tweeted in 2021, per Business Insider. “But understand you are helping the U.S. fund it with your taxes. We give billions to Israel so they can continue to murder, and murder, and murder. Celebs pay the most in taxes and the most quiet.”
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