Tyler, the Creator portad från Storbritannien

Rapparen möter motstånd.

Sedan OFWGKTA-kollektivet introducerades har Tyler, the Creator & Co. mer eller mindre surfat på en enorm medial våg som onekligen passat dem väl, och givetvis levererat hiphop därefter. Tidigare i år stod det klart att hans fejd med ett feministiskt kollektiv troligen resulterat i att han blivit portad från att turnera i Australien. För bara en dryg vecka sedan meddelade den Los Angeles-baserade rapparen att hans spelningar i Storbritannien framöver ställts in utan någon direkt förklaring. Men nu avslöjas varför han inte kommer närvara – Tyler, the Creator meddelar att han blivit portad även från Storbritannien och denna gång till följd av hans texter. Via Twitter menar Tyler att han blivit portad från Storbritannien de kommande 3-5 åren.

Hans manager Christian Clancy skriver följande via Tumblr.

”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..”

to say that i am confused would be an understatement. can you imagine being beholden to things you said when you were 18? tyler has been to the UK over 20x in the last 5 years without incident (shows, in stores, meet and greets). we rented out a movie theatre last month in London for a private showing of napoleon dynamite for his fans. literally last month.

more importantly, this is a broader issue of free speech, with new lines being drawn that include reaching back in time without acknowledging growth. in fact, punishing growth. what i do know is tyler is part of an argument that is counter to who he has become. how do you punish someone for growing up? since the letter acknowledged he was writing from an alter ego perspective does this then apply to book writers? the fact that he has evolved into someone who has acknowledged and grown out of that is simply lost in the narrative. is he not worthy of the pat on the back for becoming aware and making changes? what message does that send? is race a conscious or subconscious factor at all?”