Russian singer Yuri Loza has questioned reports that Kanye West will perform in Saint Petersburg, claiming nobody in Russia knows the American rapper.
Speaking to Russian news outlet Podem, the veteran songwriter doubted that West will actually travel to the city and suggested that reports of the visit might be fake news. Loza also pointed to what he described as a broad decline in interest in rap music among Russian listeners.
Loza said that no one in Russia knows West or could identify any of his songs. He urged Russians not to show off or act as if the country is so important simply because an American performer is planning a visit.
Loza is a well-known Soviet and Russian singer, songwriter and composer who gained fame as the author of the hit song Plot, which translates to The Raft.
Planned concerts at Gazprom Arena
Reports of the visit indicate that West will perform in Russia for the first time as part of an ongoing world tour. The American rapper is scheduled to play two concerts in Saint Petersburg on October 10 and October 11.
Both performances are scheduled to take place at the Gazprom Arena. The venue is a major sports and entertainment stadium located on Krestovsky Island in Saint Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city.
Political figures back West's visit
The debate surrounding West's potential arrival follows comments from Vitaly Milonov, the deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on protection of the family, questions of fatherhood, motherhood and childhood. Milonov previously stated that the rapper's concerts in Russia should not be canceled.
Milonov argued that previous controversial statements made by West concerning Adolf Hitler were an example of stupidity rather than a conscious political stance. The State Duma is the lower chamber of the Russian parliament based in Moscow.
