Rakim has canceled his previously postponed European tour, with both the promoter and the legendary MC giving differing explanations as to what had happened.
In an exclusive email to HipHopDX, one of the European promoters forwarded an email that was reportedly sent by Rakim’s manager to all the promoters in the area.
“With great remorse, we have come to the conclusion that Rakim’s planned European tour in May and June is no longer a feasible possibility for us and have decided to cancel the trip over,” read the email, in part. “There are a number of reasons for this (travel logistics, medical complications, personal obligations…. and to be quite blunt, mental and physical exhaustion after a year in which Rakim performed at over 120 events).”
The email continued: “Each of these as a stand-alone may not be a sufficient explanation to pull out of the tour, but cumulatively they add up… and I am not confident that we would be able to pull off 27+ shows in the time frame allotted and keep the standard of performance at the level Rakim’s fans expect and deserve.”
The promoter went on to say that Rakim’s reputation in Europe is “ruined” as a result of this cancelation.
“That is pure bullshit,” he said. “Rakim just didnt felt like going and manager tells us he tried to convince him since January, even know he cancelled in 2022 due to corona, 2023 due to Hip Hop 50 and didn’t [give] any proper excuse this time. Rakim destroys his legacy in Europe now.”
However, Rakim’s manager, Matthew Kemp, offered additional details in a statement to HipHopDX, explaining that one of the main factors were travel logistics, which led he and his team to have to figure out how to overcome “one obstacle after another.”
“Rakim does not fly – he has not been on a plane since 1998 – and there were a [number] of problems related to that,” Kemp wrote. “Securing his travel by boat (the Queen Mary) was impossible and most of the…
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