Controversial rapper Tyler, the Creator has accused UK officials of locking him in a detention cell and treating him like a "criminal" and a "terrorist" when he was banned from entering the country last week.
The hip-hop star had to axe his planned tour of Britain and Ireland after immigration officials decided not to allow him into the UK amid concerns over his song lyrics, which have previously been criticised as homophobic and misogynistic.
Tyler has now spoken out about his ordeal and revealed he felt like a criminal when he was locked up and questioned.
He tells Britain's The Guardian newspaper, "[It] was one of the s**ttiest days I've ever had. I was in a detention room; I felt like a criminal. And then [a Border Force officer] showed me lyrics from songs... literally, a paper with five lines of lyrics... I never perform those songs. Thirty minutes later, the guy comes in, he gives me a paper, and he says: 'OK, they're not letting you in the country.'
"The paper said I couldn't come at all, saying that I support homophobia and acts of terrorism... I'm just like, 'One, none of that is true, and two, I was here seven weeks ago'... Now I'm getting treated like a terrorist."
Tyler goes on to insist he is a changed man and should not be judged on lyrics he wrote when he was much younger.
He adds, "I'm bummed out because it's like, 'Dude, I'm not homophobic'. I've said this since the beginning. The 'hating women' thing - it's so nuts. It's based on things I made when I was super-young, when no one was listening [to my music]..."
The ban came just weeks after he cancelled a tour of Australia after women's rights groups protested against his planned concerts in the country, and Tyler is adamant the problems he is experiencing could lead to bigger troubles for the entertainment industry.
He adds, "When the Australia thing happened, I was like, 'Wow, OK.' Then the UK thing happened, and it's like: 'OK, this is not funny anymore - this is actually wrong, from a moral standpoint.' Now [threats against] freedom of art and speech are at hand. And because of this, it's opening a door for anyone to be banned... They're gonna go after video games, and then they're gonna go after movies, and we're gonna live in such a sensitive world."
WENN.com
