Will Tyler, the Creator Ever Tour Australia With "IGOR" (and Why Was He Even Banned Originally)?

Tyler, the Creator just dropped his new album IGOR but don't expect him to visit Australia any time soon.

(Update 21/08): We spoke too soon! The original article follows Tyler's tweet below.

AUSTRALIA * pic.twitter.com/dmnTqkBKWM

— Tyler, The Creator (@tylerthecreator) August 20, 2019

The strange and kooky Tyler, the Creator has just dropped his latest creation, IGOR, and it's got the internet raving.

Like Flower Boy before it, IGOR shows immense growth from his violent and dark early releases, Goblin and Wolf.

It's still weird and left-of-field, but replacing the homophobic and sexist slurs of his yesteryear are juicy soul hooks and great storytelling.

It's enough to make IGOR one of 2019's most impressive releases.

But he still can't shake his bad boy image and if you're expecting an Aussie tour announcement from Tyler, you might be waiting a while. Remember, the last time he tried in 2015, he was refused entry into the country.

Wait, why was he banned?

Trigger Warning: This section discusses references to rape.

It was 2015 and Tyler had an Australian tour planned for the release of his third album, Cherry Bomb. He'd already been here before in 2012 as a part of Odd Future and in 2013 with Earl Sweatshirt, but this time, something was different.

The Australian feminist organisation Collective Shout reignited their campaign to get Australia to refuse his entry before the tour started.

Collective Shout argued that his lyrics were misogynistic and celebrated rape. They quoted lyrics from the 2011 Goblin track "She", which describes dragging a dead woman's body through a forest and "fornicating" with it.

Other songs referenced from his 2009 mixtape, Bastard, referred to raping women's dead bodies.

Their campaign started to gain traction on Twitter, with an online petition that garnered just over 700 signatures. While the petition's success was small by today's standards (even just four years later), it was enough for Tyler's visa to allegedly be refused as per the Controversial Visa Applicant guidelines. His 2015 tour was subsequently cancelled.

He tweeted to say: "We would much rather come to Australia when it isn’t surrounded in controversy."

Similarly, the UK also refused his entry that year when he was scheduled to play at a festival in Reeds. The then home secretary, Theresa May, had banned him for three-to-five years as he "[posed] a threat to public order."

LONDON; IGOR; 3PM; WILL UPDATE YOU LATER WITH LOCATION pic.twitter.com/bscofwIxta

— Tyler, The Creator (@tylerthecreator) May 18, 2019

Fast forward to 2019, Tyler planned a surprise show in London to promote the release of IGOR. This seemed to suggest that his ban had run out or been overturned.

But when it came to actually performing the show, it was allegedly cancelled by the police (the police claim the venue cancelled it, not them) due to rowdy crowds.

Will Tyler ever come to Australia again?

This is the question many fans will have on their mind.

While he was refused entry in 2015, the controversial lyrics in question were from 2009 and 2011 releases, and he hasn't released anything in that same vein since. Even his homophobic slurs have been re-examined after he alluded to being queer himself on the Flower Boy track, "I Ain’t Got Time!", where he raps he's been "kissing white boys since 2004".

I TRIED TO COME OUT THE DAMN CLOSET LIKE FOUR DAYS AGO AND NO ONE CARED HAHAHHAHAHA

— Tyler, The Creator (@tylerthecreator) April 13, 2015

Student Edge reached to the Department of Home Affairs for further clarification but they told us they do not comment on individual cases. They have to yet to respond to our more general queries.

Interestingly, while Tyler has been refused entry due to lyrical content, other musical artists and actors with histories of domestic violence or sexual assault are often let into the country without a stir.

It's caused some people to question whether these decisions are subconscious bias against hip hop artists and people of colour or whether there's a double standard existing in favour of white male musicians.

Unfortunately, it seems like we'll just have to wait and see whether Australia's finally ready to let Tyler into the country again. In the meantime, watch his latest banger "Earfquake".

Header Image: YouTube (Tyler, The Creator)