Rotterdam mayor closes venue over concert by convicted rapper JoeyAK

Event venue Villa Thalia in Rotterdam will be closed for 24 hours following an order by the city’s mayor, Carola Schouten, the municipality has announced. This means that the performance by rap musician JoeyAK, which was scheduled to take place at 11 p.m., will not take place.

JoeyAK, whose real name is Joël Hoop, was sentenced to four years in jail in 2024 for his role in the kidnapping of fellow rap musician Kobus L. in 2022. This came two years after he had been sentenced to 40 months in prison for leading a violent kidnapping of her mother and her two children. He was also found guilty of money laundering and weapons possession.

Hoop was released from prison under strict conditions in July 2026. He reportedly wears an ankle monitor and is prohibited from entering Amsterdam-Zuidoost, AT5 reported. He announced his return with a video holding a stack of cash on TikTok.

Earlier this week, the mayor barred JoeyAK from the area where he was due to perform, saying there was a specific threat linked to the concert. However, the preliminary injunction judge suspended the area ban on Friday morning. The judge felt that an area ban was the wrong action to take in this scenario.

“However, the mayor’s concerns about public order and safety remain. In the mayor’s view, other measures would not be sufficient to address the specific threat surrounding the performance,” the municipality said. The municipality therefore said a temporary closure of Villa Thalia is necessary.

Villa Thalia had advertised the show as an “Exclusive Live Clubshow” starting at 11 p.m. on October 2 and continuing until 5 a.m. Saturday.