UK Officials Explain Why They Denied a Visa to Tyler the Creator

The British government has elaborated on its decision to ban rapper Tyler the Creator from entering the country.

“Coming to the UK is a privilege, and we expect those who come here to respect our shared values,” said a spokesperson for the U.K. Home Office, Pitchfork reports. “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.”

Born Tyler Gregory Okonma, the L.A. based rapper has been the subject of controversy since early in his career. Okonma and his friends and labelmates from the Odd Future collective are known for a sometimes obscene sense of humor. He was forced to cancel a four-date Australian tour due to pressure from a feminist group there, claiming that his music promotes violence towards women. The UK Home Office took issue with the rapper’s older lyrics, particularly from 2009 album Bastard, released when Okonma was 18 years old.

Okonma took to Twitter earlier this week to voice his frustrations, as he was forced to cancel a run of tour dates in England and Ireland, including an appearance at Reading and Leeds Festival.

[Pitchfork]