Latest news with #Noname
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
City Council calls to reinstate Kehlani and Noname SummerStage performances
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — Multiple New York City Councilmembers are calling on the City Parks Foundation to reinstate SummerStage performances for singers Kehlani and Noname. Council Members Tiffany Cabán and Dr. Nantasha Williams sent a joint letter to the City Parks Foundation on Tuesday urging leaders to reverse the cancellation and condemning New York City Mayor Eric Adams for what they're calling political pressure. More Local News 'When political pressure leads to threats against a permit that could impact an entire season of public performances, it puts our civil liberties at risk. Free speech is not optional,' said Williams. 'It's a right and it must be protected, especially when the voices being targeted are the very ones most often pushed to the margins.' More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State R&B singer Kehlani was originally set to perform on June 26 in honor of Pride but was canceled due to 'concerns for security and safety' from the Mayor's Office, according to a social media post from SummerStage. The cancellation came shortly after Kehlani was pulled from Cornell University's Slope Day festival for comments related to Gaza. Noname, who has similarly been outspoken about Gaza, was scheduled to headline a Juneteenth show. 'These cancellations are not about safety, they're about silencing. Black and brown artists have always spoken honestly about the world as it is and as it should be. That's what Pride and Juneteenth demand of us: truth-telling, not retreat,' said Williams. In a statement provided to PIX11 News, City Parks Foundation Executive Director Heather Lubov said: 'To clarify – City Parks Foundation SummerStage did not cancel the Juneteenth/Noname benefit concert. This cancellation is a matter between Live Nation, the producer of the concert, and the artist. A reason for cancellation was not provided to SummerStage. City Parks Foundation made the difficult decision to cancel the Kehlani concert in response to the security concerns raised by City Hall. The concerns also suggested that our license to operate SummerStage would be in jeopardy if we let the concert go on. The Mayor's Office cited the controversy surrounding Cornell University's decision to cancel Kehlani's concert at the University, as well as security demands in Central Park and throughout the City for other Pride events during that same time period. We strongly and emphatically believe in artistic expression of all kinds. However, the safety and security of our guests and artists is of the utmost importance and in light of these concerns, the concert has been cancelled. SummerStage is proud to be a platform for artists from around the world to perform and make arts accessible for all New Yorkers in their neighborhood parks. While artists may choose to express their own opinions, their views may not necessarily be representative of the festival. SummerStage events are intended to bring together all sectors of the New York City community and we look forward to welcoming more guests throughout the summer.' Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
These New York City Lawmakers Want Kehlani and Noname's Shows Uncanceled
After Kehlani and Noname's forthcoming concerts for New York's annual SummerStage series were canceled this month – the first under pressure by Mayor Eric Adams' office – 13 city council members have condemned his office's actions in a letter urging organizers to reinstate the shows and 'recommit to your publicly stated values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and the First Amendment rights to free speech and artistic expression that serve as the bedrock of our democracy.' The letter, shared exclusively with Rolling Stone, is addressed to the executive director and board chair of City Parks Foundation, which hosts SummerStage. Both Kehlani and Noname have been vocal supporters of Palestinians as Israel's war against Hamas causes mass casualties and starvation. Earlier this month, Kehlani's SummerStage show slated to celebrate Pride on June 26 was cancelled after First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro wrote to City Parks Foundation, 'that we have security concerns about this event, given the controversy surrounding Kehlani's scheduled performance at Cornell University (causing University officials to cancel the appearance).' In canceling that show, Cornell's president accused Kehlani of expressing 'antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiments,' which the artist, who uses she and they pronouns, refuted. More from Rolling Stone Van Hollen: The U.S. Is 'Complicit' in Starving the People of Gaza First Kehlani's, Now Noname's SummerStage Show Is Canceled Vic Mensa Commends Kehlani's 'Humanity and Courage' for Publicly Supporting Palestine Mastro's letter to City Parks Foundation cited concerns about additional security logistics and pushed the Foundation to respond within a day, before the Mayor's office decided whether to have the New York City Police Department (NYPD) investigate. If the NYPD found 'serious safety concerns,' Mastro wrote, the office would have to determine the 'status of the Foundation's license.' Subsequently, City Parks canceled the show, writing on Instagram, 'We strongly and emphatically believe in artistic expression of all kinds. However, the safety and security of our guests and artists is of the utmost importance and in light of these concerns, the concert has been cancelled.' The thirteen dissenting city council members call the Adams administration's interference 'a gross abuse of mayoral power and a blatant act of artistic censorship.' Days after Kehlani's cancellation, Noname's show in honor of Juneteenth was canceled, though both City Parks and the Mayor's office have said they did not make that choice, pointing to concert producer Live Nation and Noname herself. 'A reason for cancellation was not provided to SummerStage,' City Parks Foundation's executive director Heather Lubov said in a statement. Noname's representative did not return Rolling Stone's request for comment at the time. 'It appears that the cancellation of Kehlani and Noname's shows have little to do with 'security concerns' and more to do with the artists' political views against the devastating bombardment and humanitarian crisis in Gaza,' write the councilmembers, lead by Council Members Tiffany Cabán and Nantasha Williams of Queens, New York. 'This moment is about what New York City stands for and whether we will stand in solidarity against the growing tide of authoritarianism and a new era of McCarthyism that threatens the ability of everyone to participate equitably in public discourse.' The council members' letter notes that SummerStage is partially publicly funded and that its website promises a series that 'celebrates the diversity of our City' and calls the city's parks 'the most fundamentally democratic of public spaces.' The letter follows this with, 'None of these values support the silencing and repression of Black and Brown artists and the cancellations of Pride and Juneteenth celebrations.' However, the council members promised to support the foundation amid potential backlash should they move to reverse the concert cancellations. 'This letter is a reminder that there are others who will stand with City Parks Foundation on the right side of history should your organization choose to stand in solidarity with everyday New Yorkers who share your vision of thriving parks and thriving communities – as you say, 'for anyone and everyone.'' Chi Ossé, New York City council's youngest member in its history, is one of the signatories, among Council Members Jennifer Gutiérrez, Sandy Nurse, Alexa Avilés, Shahana Hanif, Carmen De La Rosa, Lincoln Restler, Justin Brannan, Rita Joseph, Carlina Rivera and Speaker Diana Ayala. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
First Kehlani's, Now Noname's SummerStage Show Is Canceled
One week after the organizers of New York City's annual SummerStage concert series canceled R&B singer Kehlani's Pride show set for the end of June, it appears Chicago rapper Noname's show celebrating Juneteenth has been canceled as well. Local publication Hell Gate first reported that Noname's show had been canceled after finding that the Ticketmaster site promoting the show announced a cancellation by the organizers. The cause is unclear. Previously, City Parks Foundation, the nonprofit that puts on SummerStage, announced that they had decided to cancel Kehlani's performance after Mayor Eric Adam's office warned them of 'safety concerns' regarding an earlier decision by Cornell University to bar Kehlani as well. University president Michael I. Kotlikoff accused Kehlani of having 'espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media.' Kehlani, who has supported Palestinians as Israel's war against Hamas causes mass casualties and starvation, responded to the accusations, saying '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.' More from Rolling Stone Vic Mensa Commends Kehlani's 'Humanity and Courage' for Publicly Supporting Palestine New York's SummerStage Cancels Kehlani Concert Amid 'Concerns' From Mayor Adams' Office Kehlani Responds to Cornell Concert Cancellation: 'I Am Anti-Genocide' The description of Israel's reprisals in Gaza after the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, as genocide has been highly contentious. Humanitarian groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have used that term, as have many others; former president Joseph R. Biden and the American Jewish Committee, among other groups that support Israel, have strongly objected to this framing. In addition to citing the 'controversy' at Cornell, the Mayor's office cited 'the security precautions needed for an event like this in Central Park, and the security demands throughout the City for other Pride events during this same period of time.' Mayor Adams himself said 'antisemitism' was an issue when asked about the cancellation in a press conference on May 6. 'Well, listen, everyone knows my feeling about the increase in antisemitism throughout the country and if not throughout the globe,' he said. However, in the case of Noname's show, the Mayor's Office told Hell Gate that it didn't have a hand in the cancellation, and referred the publication to Live Nation, who did not respond to their request for comment. Reps for Live Nation, Ticketmaster, City Parks Foundation, Noname, and Kehlani did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone's requests for comment. Noname has been outspoken about her socialist-leaning politics, telling Rolling Stone, 'I could be a better organizer. I could be more anti-capitalist, more anti-imperialist, I could be more active politically in my community. It's probably impostor syndrome, it's probably a lot of things, but I just feel like with the state of the world, we all should be doing more.' She runs Noname Book Club and the Radical Hood Library in Los Angeles, both promoting community service, anti-carcerality, and justice-oriented literature by authors of color. The Book Club's monthly picks have included Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferfuson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Davis, The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi and Palestinian poet Mohammed El-Kurd's Rifqa on his family's history of displacement by Israeli forces. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
