Kanye West's Kazakhstan Gig Reportedly Paid Him $3 Million, Provided Opportunity For Audience Selfies

Kanye West Performed In Kazakhstan This Weekend
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 25: Musician Kanye West attends the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center on August 25, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Stewart/WireImage)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 25: Musician Kanye West attends the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center on August 25, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Stewart/WireImage)

One week after performing the searing "Yeezus" track "Blood on the Leaves" for the MTV Video Music Awards audience at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, Kanye West hit Kazakhstan to play at the wedding of President Nursultan Nazarbayev's grandson.

TMZ was first to report on West's gig, which the site claims paid the rapper over $3 million. As Complex noted, Kazakhstan ranks near the bottom of the world according to the corruption index on Transparency.org. The Daily Mail, meanwhile, quoted Human Rights Watch director David Mepham as saying that "Kazakhstan's serious and deteriorating human rights situation includes 'credible allegations of torture, the imprisonment of government critics, tight controls over the media and freedom of expression and association, limits in religious freedom, and continuing violation of workers' rights.'" In 2011, Sting canceled a planned performance in Kazakhstan, citing "unacceptable" treatment of oil workers in the country.

Video from the event was posted online, showing West playing his hit song "Can't Tell Me Nothing" for the somewhat disinterested crowd (a pair of guests, for instance, used West as a backdrop for their selfie).

Another pic from yesterday-Kanye gave a private performance in Kazakhstan, for the grandson of President Nazarbayev pic.twitter.com/3xELFwQQDC

— Team Kanye Daily (@TeamKanyeDaily) September 1, 2013

More details on the Kanye West Kazakhstan concert can be found at TMZ.

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