Banning Tyler The Creator Is Prejudiced and Wrong

Tyler The Creator has been banned from the UK for three to five years.

The stunning news emerged today, finally explaining why the acclaimed hip hop artist's UK and Irish dates were cancelled earlier this week. Tyler is a member of the Odd Futures collective, who have been responsible for some of the most urgent and powerful hip hop of the past decade.

It isn't the first time that Tyler has been forced to cancel gigs. He has already pulled out of an Australian tour this year, apparently following lobbying from self-styled 'feminist' groups there.

The ban was explained by Tyler's manager, Christian Clancy, in a Tumblr post. According to Clancy, the UK's Secretary Of State issued a letter, citing lyrics from 2009's Bastard and 2011's Goblin – content which allegedly "encourages violence and intolerance of homosexuality" and "fosters hatred with views that seek to provoke others to terrorist acts."

Anyone familiar with Tyler The Creator's life and work will know that Bastard – a precocious debut indeed – was released in 2009, when he was just 18 years of age. Nor was the record ever intended as a personal statement, but instead used alter egos to express views that are commonly held among many young black kids in the US – whose world he was reflecting.

To say that Tyler the Creator is not homophobic is, at this stage, virtually axiomatic. Tyler was one of the first to express his support for his fellow member of Odd Future, Frankie Ocean, when he came out as gay. However, in relation to his use of language, he has bluntly refused to accept the dictates of political correctness, using 'gay' as a pejorative and also liberally deploying the term 'faggot' in his songs. He has also frequently used the term on his Twitter stream.

It is a position that might be described as deliberately provocative. Indeed it is impossible to completely dismiss the argument that there is a risk that his use of language might well have the potential to exacerbate anti-gay prejudice. But these things are matters of opinion. Tyler is adamant, for example, that he doesn't care if somebody calls him 'nigger'. "I personally don't give a shit," he has said. Either way, the decision to ban him from entering the UK on this basis has to be seen as ludicrously selective and, in itself, highly prejudiced.

Tyler has also been attacked for allegedly misogynistic lyrics, with rape being described as a predominant theme of Goblin. According to reports, the word 'bitch' features 68 times across the 73 minutes of the Goblin album.

But this, you might say, is standard hip hop stuff. If he is to be banned, then why not dozens of other hip hop acts? The ban, in other words, is an absurdity.

As for provoking others to terrorist acts, one recalls NWA's seismic 'Fuck Tha Police', which was released on the original Straight Outta Compton album in 1988, and wonders – why is Tyler banned in the week that Straight Outta Compton is released as a movie?

In short, it is impossible to conclude other than that the UK authorities have made jackasses of themselves.

The full statement issued by Christian Clancy reads as follows:
"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..” i grew up on NWA, eminem and rage against the machine, so its hard to me to fully wrap my head this thought process and its implications.
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?

theres a lot to absorb and understand, but while he gets painted as some sort of anti christ i want to make sure people know the facts, which are that he hasn't delved into those lyrics in years – he writes songs about cars and spreading your wings. he doesn't drink or smoke, he owns his own businesses, he takes care of his family and friends, he's honest, grateful, aware, fearless, intelligent, and inspiring. his shows serve as a release, not acts of aggression.

is he perfect? absolutely not. he's a human evolving like the rest of us, and that process evolution is a process, not a light switch.

im not defending his OLD lyrics. to be honest they make me cringe, but i stand beside him because of who he actually IS. our 8 year old daughter, who is constantly inspired by him, said it best; “why would they ban tyler? that makes no sense.”