Tyler, the Creator has been forced to pull out of this weekend’s Reading & Leeds Festivals, and has had to cancel all of his upcoming shows in the UK because he’s been banned from the country.
The rapper took to his Twitter account to explain the situation, saying he now won’t be allowed into the UK for up to five years because of his past violent lyrics.
Tyler’s manager Christian Clancy confirmed the news yesterday (August 26) and defended him, saying the songs in question were written seven years ago.
Clancy explained: “Tyler has been banned from entering the UK for somewhere between 3 to 5 years per a letter from the Secretary of State for the Home Department of the United Kingdom.
“The letter specifically cites lyrics he wrote 6-7 years ago for his albums ‘Bastard’ and ‘Goblin’ - the type of lyrics he hasn’t written since.“Highlights from the letter include that his work ‘encourages violence and intolerance of homosexuality’ and ‘fosters hatred with views that seek to provoke others to terrorist acts’.”
Whilst he’s no longer headlining the festival, the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Metallica and Mumford & Sons are all still going to perform.
