Kanye West might think he's the "greatest living rock star on the planet," but Toronto doesn't seem to agree. An announcement that Yeezus is performing at the closing of the Pan Am Games has rankled quite a few Torontonians, even prompting a petition calling for his removal.
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The Pan Am Games are being hosted in Toronto this year, and some people feel that it means more local artists should be recognized during the major sporting event. Canada's own Serena Ryder is also performing at the closing ceremony, as is Pitbull. But Torontonians drew the line at Kanye.
so kanye west is coming to toronto, guess they have to open the skydome so his head will fit inside
— Mark Rubello (@MarkRubello) July 15, 2015
Canada is full of talent. Surely we could have found someone more worthy of closing out the Pan Am Games! http://t.co/eCcPjzJa5v— Cindy Freiman (@CreativeSoulCyn) July 15, 2015
Wow Toronto you couldn't find a better human being other than Kanye freaking West to close off the #PanAmGames #disgrace #awful— Mike Loughlin (@MikeLoughlin77) July 15, 2015
Kanye West for Pam Am games is WAY worse than Detroit having Nickelback Thanksgiving halftime show .. that deserves a petition— TheBretsky (@TheBretsky) July 15, 2015
The online petition, which has more than 6,000 signatures, highlights the huge amount of local talent who could have been chosen instead, including Shania Twain, Drake, Feist, Crystal Castles, Peaches and K'naan.
"The options for Toronto artists are far from limited and choosing someone like Kanye West raises several concerns among the people. Why was a local artist or group not chosen and supported, just as our local athletes are throughout the games?" the petition reads.
Toronto mayor John Tory also added in his two cents, admitting that although he's not personally a fan, "I’m smart enough to know that he’s a proud product of our music industry here."
West, however, is decidedly not from Toronto, nor is he even Canadian. Maybe Tory was confusing him with Drake? Upon realization, the Mayor backtracked, saying “I wish he was Canadian."
If that petition is anything to go by, though, some people don't have quite the same opinion.
UPDATE 7/16/15 2:38 p.m. PST: As of now, the petition has reached over 22,000 signatures.