Last night, rapper Tyler the Creator (real name: Tyler Okonma) wrongly tweeted out that he was banned from touring in Australia due to protests from feminist rights group Collective Shout. His tweets have resulted in members of the group receiving rape and death threats from Tyler's irate fans.
T IS NOW BANNED FROM AUSTRALIA, YOU WON @CoralieAlison IM HAPPY FOR YOU <3
— Tyler, The Creator (@fucktyler) July 27, 2015
According to Australia's department of Immigration and Border Protection, no decision has been made yet on Tyler's VISA application to the country, so his tweets are a bit premature at this point.
"In cases where a person is assessed as representing a risk that they may vilify or incite discord, or otherwise represent a danger to the Australian community, a person may be refused a visa," a spokesperson said in a statement.
Frontier Touring, Tyler's touring company took their official page to post a similar message, saying that Tyler's planned September shows in the country are still open to pushing through:
"With respect to media reports that Tyler the Creator's visa has been refused, Frontier would like to advise that this is not the case. The department for immigration has raised issues with the visa application but it has not been refused and Frontier will update ticket holders as soon as more information comes to hand," the company wrote on Facebook.
Tyler's spat with Collective Shout dates back to 2013. In the Guardian's report on this story, they mention that the group petitioned that Tyler be denied entry into the country due to his offensive lyrics. Here's a recounting of a Tyler's show in Australia two years ago through the eyes of Collective Shout member Talitha Stone:
A few songs in, Tyler told his fans that "some bi*ch was trying to get him kicked out of the country", followed by one of two songs he dedicated to me. This one was titled Bi*ch Suck D*ck, which contains the lyrics "You dead bi*ch, I'm hot as f*ck ... Punch a bi*ch in her mouth just for talkin' shit".
