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Tyler The Creator Slams Australia, Border Force In New Song

Rapper Tyler The Creator Slams Australia, Border Force In New Song
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American rapper Tyler The Creator has claimed his "freedom was breached" by the Australian Border Force in a new song posted online today.

Real name Tyler Okonma, the Californian star cancelled a planned September tour of Australia after a petition by activist group Collective Shout.

The group called him a "misognyist pro-rape rapper" due to lyrics of some songs which detailed rape, murder and other gore.

The group had run a similar campaign ahead of the rapper's 2013 tour, which was unsuccessful, but which saw Tyler aggressively call out a member of Collective Shout on stage during the tour.

In August, after the campaign had received widespread attention and Tyler himself posted a tweet claiming he was "banned" from the country, the tour was cancelled by promoters Frontier Touring.

"We would much rather come to Australia when it isn't surrounded in controversy," Tyler said in a statement. "I love my fans there and hopefully I'll be back soon."

In a new song released overnight, however, Tyler seemed to take aim at Australia and the Border Force specifically. He also linked his case to fellow rapper Eminem -- who he refers to by his real name, Marshall Mathers -- who stirred similar controversy over explicit lyrics in the early 2000s.

Lyrics on the song's Youtube page read:

"tell australia im sneaking in with a mic in my damn hand,

instead of the vegetables that i packed in my backpack.

when marshall had this problem what the f*** was they telling him?

is it cause of status or his melanin lacks black,

i think people love to be mad"

....

"freedom of speech? my freedom was breached,

border patrol put me on streets immediately"

Coralie Alison, director of operations at Collective Shout, called the song "a tantrum".

The decision to cancel Tyler's tour came weeks ahead of fellow entertainer Chris Brown being banned from Australia over his history of domestic violence.

Just weeks after Tyler's Australian tour was cancelled, he was also refused a visa to enter the United Kingdom -- with his lyrics again cited as a contributing factor. Tyler's manager, Christian Clancy, posted a blog linking the issue to free speech.

"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?" Clancy wrote (sic).

"is he perfect? absolutely not. he’s a human evolving like the rest of us, and 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."

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