US rapper Tyler, the Creator back in the UK after ban expires | Music

The US rapper Tyler, the Creator has posted pictures of himself in the UK, four years after he was banned from entering the country by the then home secretary Theresa May.

The rapper, whose given name is Tyler Gregory Okonma, was banned from the UK in 2015 over the content of his lyrics, with the Home Office alleging the songwriter “encourages violence and intolerance of homosexuality” and “fosters hatred with views that seek to provoke others to terrorist acts”.

The Guardian understands the ban, which was originally imposed for three to five years, no longer applies and he is able to enter the UK legally.

Okonma, who was forced to cancel performances in the UK, responded with incredulity when the ban was imposed, saying the lyrics the government had cited were from six years ago. His manager, Christian Clancy, mounted a defence of his client, arguing Okonma had “evolved and grown out of that”.

The rapper posted a video and picture of himself outside Buckingham Palace, in London, on Twitter on Saturday. He was dressed in a pink and red suit and in the video appeared to be shadow boxing. He said he would perform at the Bussey building in Peckham at 3pm on Saturday.

Okonma is one of a number of rappers who have been banned from the UK. Busta Rhymes and Snoop Dogg have both been excluded from the country in the past because of convictions for criminal offences in the US.

However, objections to Okonma entering the UK were based on the content of his lyrics. The Californian rapper was forced to cancel the Australian leg of his world tour in 2015 after a feminist group launched a petition calling for him to be denied a visa to enter the country. The group, Collective Shout, cited objections to lyrics that included references to rape and violence against women, as well as historic behaviour on earlier tours.

When Tyler was booked to play Glastonbury in 2013, a similar petition was launched in the UK accusing him of “normalising, and even glamorising, rape in his rap lyrics”. It attracted 762 signatures but the rapper went on to play his set with no disruption. That same year, again in Australia, Tyler was reported to the police after a derogatory tirade against the campaigner Talitha Stone, a member of Collective Shout, which was campaigning against his appearance in the country.