Kanye West and Jay Z are touring Europe with their Watsch the Throne show. On the 3rd June they had a phenomenal concert in Antwerp and played before an audience of nearly 20.000.
Kanye West planned to have dinner in downtown Antwerp and had arranged a reservation at Brasserie Appelmans, close to the main square. When Kanye and his entourage arrived at the restaurant the manager had no idea who he was would and did not let him in. He explained the kitchen was closed and advised them to go to a restaurant on the opposite side of the street, Da Giovanni.
Just after they turned Kanye West down, they realized their mistake. An employee told the newspapers they received a phone call explaining who they just turned down. The damage was done.
Eventually Da Giovanni was honored with Kanye’s visit, but the manager and employees didn’t even realize it. It’s only after a journalist’s phone call informing them they just had a famous rapper as guest that they realized it was Kanye West. Allegedly Kanye had a Pizza Quattro Stagioni .
Although Kanye West and Jay Z are popular artists, also in Belgium, attracting tens of thousands of fans, to me it is surprising to see that your regular restaurant manager and employee in Flanders biggest city has no idea who Kanye West is. But would they have recognized Gotye, Muse, J Lo, or any other great artist who will play at the same venue?
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But is it racism? It appears that Kanye was late. Kanye booked for 3 o'clock but arrived at 4:14, according to restaurant. And the kitchen is always closed between 4 and 5 o'clock. The manager asked him if he wanted to wait for half an hour, but he was in a hurry. So then he advised him to go to a restaurant on the opposite side of the street, Da Giovanni, according to Nieuwsblad.be
ReplyDeleteBut that is of course one side of the story.
When I first read the post I mentally screamed: "Racism!" But after reading your comments, Afro-Europe, about Kanye arriving over an hour late,and the manager inviting him to wait for half an hour until the kitchen reopened, I'm not so sure that it's "racism". This sounds like Kanye brought this on himself.
Delete"Although Kanye West and Jay Z are popular artists, also in Belgium, attracting tens of thousands of fans, to me it is surprising to see that your regular restaurant manager and employee in Flanders biggest city has no idea who Kanye West is."
ReplyDeleteI'm African American and I don't think that's surprising. Not everyone is in to hip-hop and recognizes Rap entertainers.
I only knowing about Kanye West & Jay-Z from reading about them. If they walked into a restaurant I was in in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania USA, I might know that they were celebrities because of their entourage and the crowd that they might attract. But I wouldn't know who they were just by looking at them.
I don't think this incident in the Flanders restaurant had anything at all to do with racism. If I were affiliated with that resturant, I'd ask for an apology from the post's author because of the implication that the manager did anything wrong.
John, Azizi, in the story in Nieuwblad.be it was also mentioned that the general public thought the restaurant had turned them down. But again, it's just one side of the story.
ReplyDeleteIt occurs to me that the issue isn't whether the restaurant manager recognized the celebrities but whether the restaurant manager refused to serve Black people.
DeleteFrom what I've read about that incident here, I'm not certain about that. As you have noted Afro-Europe, that's just one possibility.
Having dealt with Belgian people, many of them, I wouldn't describe Belgian people today as racists.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it is racism either. I just reported what I read in the newspapers, I wrote also he was an hour late, i didn't know about the kitchen opening hours. Is 'turning down' maybe to hard in this context, should the title be 'Kanye West an hour late' or something like that? The only thing that surprised me is that they didn't recognize him. But that's my bias. Could be that Kings of Leon or Justin Bieber wouldn't be recognized either, I don't know. But i want to stress I never screamed racism here, though you may want to read it between the lines. I actually just wanted to report this event. Sorry of you felt misled.
ReplyDeletewtf.
ReplyDeletewhy do people think this is racism.not every bad thing that happens to black people is racism.
he was an hour late. Besides i am Belgian and mixed race and i have to say belgians are not racist.
Pleeeze! So now restaurants around the world have to change their hours any time any American celebrity walks in? Seriously?
ReplyDeleteI am Belgian and "black" American,( just Belgian in Belgium) have lived all over Belgium and the US and have experienced zero racism in Belgium, especially Antwerp, as compared to the US.
I do however, understand how black Americans can interpret things in other countries as "racist".
For me, most of the US feels obsessed with the artificial concept of "race", either overtly or covertly. As a Belgian, I never get used to the difference in treatment due to skin colour. ( black American security guards following me around every store etc.)It is a bit bizarre how much everyone seems consumed by this madness.
Sorry Americans, I know many think Obama made "racism" a thing of the past, but guess again.
Post Obama, hate groups in the US have almost doubled. You can feel it traveling throughout the US with brown skin, and the hateful glares are scary! The states with the most active hate groups include California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and New York. http://tinyurl.com/94o39vl
It is a US problem that people drag around the world with them, but I have felt the fear in the US, and it is real, and hard to shake. ( but God forbid you speak openly about it)
However, have never felt afraid or targeted because of my skin colour in Belgium. Never...just sayin'
i despise kanye west and the (c)rap music he's determined to promote!! i think he is a self-loathing misogynist and i think he should have been banned from the country. that restaurant was being too polite IMO. i'm glad they had no idea who he was! the less money in his pocket to fund that broodmare kim kardashian and that unfortunate spawn they've conceived the better!!!!
ReplyDeletenatalie
Great Post. If you are looking for the best restaurant in Antwerp. The House Colvenier serves over a delicious dish with a unique experience.
ReplyDeleteAntwerpen Restaurants