Kanye West cancels tour after bizarre concert rants

Rapper Kanye West has abruptly cancelled the remainder of his tour following a series of shows in which he had embarked on rants about politics and the music industry.

"The remaining dates on the Saint Pablo Tour have been cancelled. Tickets will be fully refunded at point of purchase," concert promoters Live Nation said in a statement.

No reason was given for the cancellation and West’s representatives did not immediately return calls for comment.

However, the announcement followed the last-minute cancellation of a concert by West in Los Angeles on Sunday and a rant-filled show on Saturday in Sacramento, California.

West was due to play 21 more dates in the United States, ending on New Year’s Eve in Brooklyn.

The influential rapper, who is promoting his current album The Life of Pablo, made headlines last week when he was booed at his San Jose, California concert for declaring his support for U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.

On Saturday, some concertgoers in Sacramento reported on social media that the Jesus Walks singer ended his show after 30 minutes, following a tirade in which he criticised performers Beyoncé and Jay Z, as well as the U.S. media.

He later flooded his Instagram account with photos of items for his fashion line.

A source close to West, who is married to TV reality star Kim Kardashian, told celebrity magazine Us Weekly that the musician was exhausted and stressed after spending almost every night on tour since August, and following the armed robbery on Kardashian in Paris in October that traumatised the family.

West has a history of unpredictable and sometimes controversial behavior.

Last year, he declared he was considering running for U.S. president in 2020, and in 2009 he interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York saying the honor should have gone to Beyoncé.

In 2006, he posed as Jesus Christ on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and earlier this year, he released a music video for Famous featuring portrayals of nude celebrities including Trump, Swift and comedian Bill Cosby lying asleep in bed with him.