US rapper Kanye West (Ye) made a surprise visit to Moscow to congratulate a friend of his, fashion designer Gosha Rubchinsky on his birthday. Rubchinsky heads West's Yeezy brand. The US musician walked around the capital, had black caviar at Beluga restaurant and took a ride with friends on a luxury yacht.
The American rapper arrived at Vnukovo-3 airport on a private flight on Saturday, June 29. It was reported that the artist decided to visit Russia to celebrate his friend and business partner's birthday as Gosha Rubchinsky turned 40 on June 29.
West's Russian fans created a number of groups on Telegram to exchange messages about the rapper's whereabouts in the Russian capital. A crowd of onlookers gathered near Four Seasons Hotel, where the musician allegedly stayed in the presidential suite.
Rubchinsky's representatives reported that the friends were planning to take a walk around the city and then go to a private location.
"Hello Moscow!" West wrote on his VKontakte (VK) page. In October 2022, the VKontakte management actually invited the rapper to join the social network, but it is not known for certain whether he actually registered there.
Rubchinsky celebrated his anniversary at Beluga Restaurant in the center of Moscow. Guests were treated to black caviar, vodka and a variety of dishes of Russian cuisine. Only relatives and close friends of the designer were invited for dinner.
"Kanye, as a great connoisseur of our culture, was delighted,” Gosha Rubchinsky's representatives noted.
The next day, the company went for a walk, which several fans managed to capture. Then Gosha Rubchinsky took everyone to GUM Department Store on Red Square for lunch at fancy Bosco Cafe.
In the evening, West, Rubchinsky and his team relaxed on the Novaya Zvezda (New Star) yacht. Russian pop singer Yegor Kreed was also present on board. He shared pictures from the boat on social media. The ride along the Moskva River cost the company two million rubles. After the ride, Kanye West and his friends left in a Mercedes-Benz in an unknown direction.
On July 1, Kanye West left Russia and flew to Germany.
Producer Yana Rudkovskaya was one of the first to write about the arrival of the American artist in her personal Telegram channel.
"Fingers crossed for a show at Luzhniki in the future!” she wrote.
Journalist and socialite Ksenia Sobchak noted that she personally spoke with Rubchinsky and confirmed reports about West coming to Moscow for the designer's birthday.
According to Sobchak, West's was on a private visit, but he will still go to look for venues for a possible concert.
It still remains unknown whether Kanye West is going to perform in Russia or not. Reportedly, though, West's concert in Moscow will take place in September.
After Kanye West left Russia, music producer Iosif Prigozhin said that the rapper decided to visit Moscow to challenge the Western political system of sanctions against Russia.
Prigozhin called West a "welcome guest” and encouraged other foreigners to come to the country.
"When Kanye West returns home, he will have a lot to tell: how he was greeted, how many fans there were, how clean and beautiful the city was,” the producer concluded.
In December 2023, Russian fashion designer Gosha Rubchinsky took over Yeezy having suspended cooperation with Japanese brand Comme des Garçons.
Kim Kardashian's ex-husband considered Rubchinsky's arrival at Yeezy an important achievement in the history of the fashion industry. In addition, West called the Russian fashion designer legendary.
Gosha Rubchinsky became one of the few Russian fashion designers to appear on the list of 500 most influential people in the fashion industry according to Business of Fashion.
The designer made a name for himself in 2008 when he created a collection of clothes in "Gopnik on the block” style. Subsequently, many foreign stars including Rihanna and Justin Bieber appeared in public wearing outfits designed by Rubchinsky.
Gosha Rubchinsky found himself in the center of a sex scandal in 2018l. At that time, the 34-year-old designer was accused of harassing a 16-year-old teenager. The minor allegedly communicated with Rubchinsky on social media. During one of such conversations the designer asked the teenager to take a picture of himself naked in the bathroom.
Shortly after the messages were made public, Rubchinsky's team told reporters that the correspondence was in fact part of the casting process. Rubchinsky denied all accusations. He managed to rehabilitate himself completely in the fashion industry and started his collaboration with Kanye West in 2023.