U.S. rapper Ye's China concerts bring a windfall and a little chaos

Communist authorities gamble and win millions on famously unpredictable star

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American rapper Kanye West, who goes by Ye, performs in Haikou, in China's Hainan province, on Sept. 15. (China News Service/VCG via AP )

CISSY ZHOU, Nikkei staff writer

HONG KONG -- The American rapper Kanye West, now known simply as Ye, would appear to be an unlikely favorite of the Chinese Communist Party. The superstar is a politically controversial figure even on his home turf. Yet he has taken China by storm this month, with a concert on the southern island of Hainan proving so popular that another has been scheduled for next Saturday.

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