China’s censorship is among the toughest in the world. So why did it let Kanye West play?

Hong Kong CNN —

It seemed like an unlikely stage for Kanye West to unveil his new music.

But last month the American rapper – now known as Ye – held not just one but two sold-out “listening parties” in China, a country that imposes some of the toughest censorship in the world.

Playing on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, his first concerts in the country in 16 years, Ye astounded fans by announcing his new album “Bully” and left some wondering why the country’s ruling Communist Party would allow such a controversial artist to perform.

Just six years ago, Chinese authorities clamped down on hip-hop, blacklisting songs and dropping rappers from shows. Its media regulator banned Chinese television from featuring “actors with tattoos (or depict) hip-hop culture, subculture and immoral culture.” One Chinese rapper, PG One, even apologized for lyrics that came under fire for glorifying drugs and sex.

As well as his own frequent lyrical references to sex and drugs, along with cutting social and political commentary, Ye has made a number of controversial statements in his personal life. He wore a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt in public, and an antisemitic outburst he made lost him an extremely lucrative sneakers deal with German brand Adidas.

Yet, he managed to stage his “Vulture Listening Experience” at the Wuyuan River Sports Stadium in Hainan’s provincial capital Haikou, an arena with more than 41,000 seats, on September 15 and September 28.

He is among a growing number of Western artists returning to the world’s second-biggest economy since the lifting of Covid restrictions.

The Chinese Communist Party, which views popular culture as a key ideological battleground, has long kept the entertainment sector on a tight