Tyler, The Creator and the word ‘controversy’ are never too far apart, particularly when the rap collective he fronts, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, stirred a hive of backlash when they first landed in Australia in 2011. So it comes as no surprise that the 22-year-old rapper’s current tour of the country has once again seen politicians and activists speaking out against him.
The EarlWolf tour – which pairs Tyler, The Creator with Odd Future associate Earl Sweatshirt, kicked off in on Tuesday night at the Capitol in Perth, but Liberal Party MP Alex Hawke is calling on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to cancel the controversial US rapper’s right to perform in Australia, as FasterLouder reports.
The Member for Mitchell in North West Sydney is calling out Prime Minister Julia Gillard for allowing the rapper’s Australian visa to go through unopposed, accusing her of a double standard after she labelled Opposition Leader Tony Abbott a misogynist in late 2012, while Tyler, The Creator has been embroiled in headlines for his lyrical fantasies of violence and misogyny.
“Allowing this man a visa to promote his misogyny to audiences, including children, is a complete disgrace and an absolute insult to all of us and to women in particular,” Mr Hawke said. The EarlWolf Tour is over 18s only in Perth and their appearance in Melbourne tomorrow night, but their closing Brisbane date and tonight’s Sydney performance at the Enmore Theatre are both all-ages events, which is also of concern for Minister Hawke.
A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Brendan O’Connor said that Minister Hawke’s complaints were of a personal nature and did not see to intervene in the department’s decision to grant Tyler, The Creator a visa. “Allowing this man a visa to promote his misogyny to audiences, including children, is a complete disgrace and an absolute insult to all…” – Alex Hawke, Liberal MP
“The Minister does not agree with the offensive lyrics of this rapper,” a representative from Mr O’Connor’s office told News.com.au. “It is a condition of his visa that he must respect Australian law and not cause or threaten harm to individuals or the community, and that any such conduct may result in him having his visa cancelled.”
Melinda Liszewski from Collective Shout, an organisation that works against the sexualisation of women, is another detractor in the anti-Tyler camp, particularly since the incident in which Canadian musical siblings Tegan & Sara called out the rapper for his misogynistic themes, to which the Odd Future ringleader famously responded “If Tegan And Sara Need Some Hard Dick, Hit Me Up!”
“It’s an absolute mockery and insult to women who have actually experienced these horrific things,” Mrs Liszewski told the Courier Mail, whose group want the EarlWolf all-ages show at Brisbane’s Eaton Hill cancelled.
“We’ve had people say, ‘Ah, they’re just lyrics, we’re not going to listen to his song and go out and rape and murder someone’ but there is a connection between misogynist violence, discriminatory speech, and the actual real world violence against women… It’s an incitement to violence and this sort of thing being seen as entertainment desensitises people to violence as well.”
The Collective Shout member added that Brisbane in particular was “still raw” after the brutal rape and murder of Joan Ryther in Logan last month. “I think many parents would be dropping their children to this event unaware that Tyler, the Creator’s songs contain lyrics like “Rape a pregnant b…. and tell my friends I had a threesome/ You got a f…ing death wish, I’m a genie it’ll get done.”
Much of the lyrical content that Tyler, The Creator is being criticised for is taken from his 2011 album Goblin, but in a recent interview with SPIN magazine the rapper said he had moved past his provocative period. “Talking about rape and cutting bodies up, it just doesn’t interest me anymore,” he said of his new studio album Wolf.
“What interests me is making weird hippie music for people to get high to. WithWolf, I’ll brag a little more, talk about money and buying shit. But not like any other rapper, I’ll be a smart-ass about it,” he added. “People who want the first album again, I can’t do that. I was 18, broke as fuck. On my third album, I have money and I’m hanging out with my idols. I can’t rap about the same shit.”
Tyler, The Creator was previously called out on being homophobic over his music, but when Odd Future singer Frank Ocean ‘came out’ to the music industry, it was Tyler, The Creator that was among the first to show solidarity, saying he knew about Ocean’s sexual orientation for some time. “I’ve known for a while, he told me a long time ago… It was just funny cause I was getting bashed as a homophobe… and I kept saying, dude, how am I one? I have gay friends, like what the fuck leave me alone.”
Tyler, The Creator & Earl Sweatshirt 2013 EarlWolf Australian Tour Dates
Tickets go on sale 9am Tuesday, 7th May via frontiertouring.com/earlwolf
Tuesday 4th June – Capitol, Perth – 18+
Thursday 6th June – Enmore Theatre, Sydney – All Ages
Friday, 7th June – Palace Theatre, Melbourne – 18+
Saturday 8th June – Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane – All Ages
