Tyler, the Creator is speaking out after he was refused entry into the UK last week due to lyrics that "encourages violence and intolerance of homosexuality" and "fosters hatred with views that seek to provoke others to terrorist acts."
The rapper and founder of hip-hop collective Odd Future opened up to the Guardian about his three- to five-year ban from the country that he visited just eight months ago, calling it a wrongful accusation and a hypocritical move.
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
"There are rallies of neo-Nazis in parts of England. And then you’re telling me I can’t come there because of some bullshit song, but you got motherfuckers with swastikas rallying down the street actually promoting hate?" he said.
The artist said that they made him feel like a "criminal" and a "terrorist" when in reality, he's a harmless guy. "You could watch any interview and see my personality, see the guy I am. I wouldn’t hurt a fly."
The rapper also pointed out that the lyrics were written from the point-of-view of an alter ego. "Like, I wrote 'Blow' when I was reading about different people in American history. One of the people happened to be [the serial killer] Ted Bundy, and I wrote a song from his point of view."
"Songs were written from perspective of alter ego, and the papers [saying he is denied entry] acknowledge that," he said. "So the argument is right there!"
The decision is reviewed every three to five years, which explains the length of the ban.
A Home Office spokesperson commented on the ban in a statement to the pop culture website The Quietus.
"Coming to the UK is a privilege, and we expect those who come here to respect our shared values," it reads. "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."
This isn't the first time a country has taken action against the rapper for his "harmful" lyrics. Last month, a women's advocacy group Collective Shout petitioned Australia's immigration minister Peter Dutton to refuse Tyler's visa, because of his "misogynistic hate speech against women."