Tyler, the Creator recently canceled four tour dates in the U.K. and Ireland due to "unspecified circumstances." The reason for the canceled dates was revealed on Thursday: the rapper was banned from entering the U.K. for the next three to five years.
Tyler took to his Twitter account and expressed frustration at the government's decision. The rapper claimed that the decision was based off song lyrics that he wrote years ago.
BASED ON LYRICS FROM 2009 I AM NOT ALLOWED IN THE UK FOR 3-5 YEARS ( although i was there 8 weeks ago) THAT IS WHY THE SHOWS WERE CANCELLED.
— Tyler, The Creator (@fucktyler) August 26, 2015
Tyler's manager Christian Clancy posted a statement on his Tumblr and explained the situation in greater depth. "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," Clancy wrote. "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's seek to provoke others to terrorist acts.'"
Clancy admitted in the post that he was not defending Tyler's lyrics that "make me cringe," but he pointed out the fact that the rapper visited the U.K. over 20 times in the past five years.
"Coming to the UK is a privilege, and we expect those who come here to respect our shared values," a spokesperson for the Home Office said, according to The Guardian. "The Home Secretary has the power to exclude an individual if she considers that his or her presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good or if their exclusion is justified on public policy grounds."
