A rapper has been banned from entering the UK for provoking others to “terrorist acts” because Britain’s Home Secretary believes his work “encourages violence and intolerance of homosexuality.” Two members of the rapper’s collective, Odd Future, are gay.
The Californian artist known as Tyler The Creator recently cancelled a number of shows and festival appearances in the UK and Ireland. In a statement, his manager wrote:
“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 thats seek to provoke others to terrorist acts..”
He posts on Twitter:
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
The album in question was recorded when Tyler was 19 years old, and heavily features the word “faggot.”
In 2011, following the release of the album, the Guardian questioned him about his use of the term: “I’m not homophobic” he replied, “I just say faggot and use gay as an adjective to describe stupid shit.”
“Syd Tha Kyd” also known as Sydney Bennett, his band member at the time of recording, is openly a lesbian and in 2012 another member of the group, Frank Ocean, came out as bisexual.
In the statement his manager points out that the use of words such as “faggot” is common in hip-hop – old and new – and claims that Tyler was rapping from an “alter ego perspective”. He argues that people often say things they don’t truly believe in their teenage years.
“More importantly,” he continues, “this is a broader issue of free speech.”
Earlier in the month, Tyler cancelled a tour of Australian amid pressure from feminist group Collective Shout, who campaigned for the government to reject his visa because of what they called “songs advocating rape and extreme violence against women” in his catalogue.
The Home Office said in a statement:
“Coming to the U.K. is a privilege, and we expect those who come here to respect our shared values. 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.”
In 2011, Tyler said during an interview with MTV: “Well, I have gay fans and they don’t really take it offensive, so I don’t know. If it offends you, it offends you. If you call me a n*gger, I really don’t care, but that’s just me, personally. Some people might take it the other way; I personally don’t give a shit.”
Meanwhile the United Kingdom continues to allow Islamist hate preachers into the country, though under Home Secretary Theresa May, this has slowed down.
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