US RAP artist Tyler the Creator sings songs advocating rape and extreme violence against women. His lyrics include themes of murder, genital mutilation, stuffing women into car boots, trapping them in his basement, raping their corpses and burying their bodies. In Tyler’s world, women are sluts, bitches and ‘‘hos’’ who invite criminal acts. They have it coming. It’s what they deserve. And we just welcomed him to Australia. Many are calling on Immigration Minister Brendan O’Connor to explain why he has given a platform to an artist who raps about rape as fun. The rapper’s concerts begin in Perth today. He’ll be in Melbourne on Friday. His Brisbane gig at Eatons Hill Hotel is listed as for ‘‘all ages’’. Tyler the Creator gets a free pass to promote male entitlement to do anything to women. Some of his lyrics include:
‘‘ You call this sh– rape but I think that rape’s fun, I just got one request, stop breathin’’
‘‘ F– Mary . . . keep that bitch locked up in my storage, rape her and record it’’ ‘‘ Chop her up in the back of a Wrangler’’ ‘‘ I wanna tie her body up and throw her in my basement, keep her there, so nobody can wonder where her face went’’
There’s lots more, but it’s unpublishable.
In Australia, violence against women costs the taxpayer an estimated $13.6 billion. The Australian Government says it is strongly committed to reducing domestic violence and sexual assault, and has provided funding of $75.7 million over four years via the Women’s Safety Agenda.
The Victorian Government’s action plan to address violence against women allocates $90m to the cause this year.
To violence against women Australia says . . . it’s just entertainment?
If we are serious about addressing violence against women, should a visa be granted to a man who makes a living treating it as entertainment? What’s the point of programs if we tolerate those who fuel it?
In a plea to Immigration Minister Brendan O’Connor and Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr, Perth woman Caitlin Roper wrote: ‘‘As a survivor of sexual violence, I can honestly say the impact is devastating, not only for the woman, but our families and those who love us. I believe we need to have zero tolerance for those that encourage violent and dehumanising acts on women.
‘‘I realise of course that asking you to revoke Tyler the Creator’s visa is a huge ask. However, I would ask you to consider the message you could send to Australians about the serious nature of violence against women and the Government’s lack of tolerance for hate speech against our female citizens.’’
The rapper’s hate speech include gays. Tyler the Creator’s rap group, Odd Future, was banned from the NZ Big Day Out line-up after complaints about his lyrics; in that case, homophobic slurs. Tyler responds to women (including this writer) who criticise his misogynistic lyrics, with sexually intimidating comments on social media.
Australian Immigration Fact Sheet 78 on Controversial Visa Applicants refers to ‘‘people whose presence in Australia may, because of their activities, reputation, known record or the cause they represent and propagate, vilify or incite discord in the Australian community or a segment of that community, or represent a danger to the Australian community or a segment of that community’’.
Shouldn’t vilifying women and contributing to an environment that puts them in danger qualify for a reconsideration of his visa? Many of those attending his concerts will be boys forming their opinions about women. They will get a message that abusing women is cool. Inciting criminal acts does not deserve the protection of free speech.
When musicians Tegan & Sara criticised his lyrics he offered them his erect penis. They had written:
‘‘When will misogynistic and homophobic ranting and raving result in meaningful repercussions in the entertainment industry? When will they be treated with the same seriousness as racist and anti-Semitic offences?’’
Is there one political leader in this country who will declare Tyler the Creator’s brand of hatred unwelcome?
When a society doesn’t take violence against women seriously, and even considers it a form of entertainment, it has devastating results for women and girls.
The human rights violations Tyler raps about happen to real women. He is contributing to a culture that enables and excuses it. In a country that claims to care about the treatment of women, why would we give him a platform?
As published in the Herald Sun June 6, 2013
19 Responses
There are many people who have justifiably been denied visas to Australia because of their active incitement to hatred. Among these have included Ian Paisley, David Irving, and Louis Farrakhan. This man deserves the same treatment.
First of all, thank you Melinda for sharing your passion for the respect of women. I’m a married man and I have a daughter. I grew up in a home where domestic violence was prevalent, so your message hits home. in my opinion a man who inflicts any form of abuse to a woman,verbally, emotionally, physically or sexually (or all the above), is not a real man per se. He might have had a rough upbringing and been exposed to a poor role model but it is no excuse to not seek help and learn how to treat a woman with respect and honor. People lile Tyler the Creator (I wonder what this guy creates, but he sure destroys lives through his lyrics!) not only shouldn’t be allowed in Australia but they shouldn’t be allowed in the world of art that music is.
I’m having trouble reconciling the 21st century to this cave-man Tyler. How did we ever let society get to this stage? This guy has single-handedly set feminism back 200 years. Speak up folks!
Congratulations on today’s piece – No welcome mat for vile misogynist’, Melinda. What you have written is spot on and it’s a pity more people don’t speak out publicly on such topics when ‘entertainers’ engage in such disgusting behaviour in the name of art – in this instance rap music. Like racist comments, lyrics such as those used by Tyler the Creator, contribute to belief systems.
I am a school principal and young people are very impressionable – especially by high profile entertainers and pop stars. People such as Tyler do no good with their words, and in my opinion, by extension their attitudes!
Great role modelling by you today, Melinda. Tyler could take a leaf out of your book.
Thank you Melinda, for your courageous passion and unequivocal stance with regard to Tyler the Creator.
Disgusting and abhorrent lyrics from a person who advocates sexual violence, hatred, murder, abuse and necrophilia towards women, should be returned to the place from whence he came.
All in the name of “music and entertainment”. What a blatant lie – it’s not entertainment, it is a disguise to feed the violence in our society.
This person only serves to encourage the degradation of females, by passing off as entertainment and fun, sadistic and inhuman acts against females. My stomach turns when I think that he is being given a platform from which to “display and verbalise his filth”.
How the Australian Government Immigration Department can lie straight in bed, knowing that they are allowing such a person to freely enter into our country, defies belief!
Put Tyler the Creator on the next plane back to the US!
Has the author or anyone commenting actually bothered to listen to Tyler’s music?
These lyrics have been taken from songs where he is writing from the perspective of a serial killer who is in fact a white male. His music is a form of art and he is simply exploring the minds of these people who even he would agree acted in horrific ways. Tyler is a musical and creative genius and should not be stopped from touring because of a few lyrics which have been taken out of context.
I am one of these ‘boys’ attending his concert in Melbourne this Friday. It is absolutely ridiculous for you to assume that this will make me think that ‘abusing women is cool’.
Instead, why don’t you consider some of the positives that have come out of his music? He has helped a generation of children feel good about themselves. As he said in his song ‘Oldie,’ ‘This is for… the ones that got called weird, fag, bitch, nerd cause you were into jazz, kitty cats and Steven Spielberg.’ Not to mention the fact that his encouragement and friendship stopped two of his closest friends from committing suicide. By realising their talent and assuming a big brother role, Tyler turned around the lives of both Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt (who I will also be seeing this Friday).
Oh, and as to his ‘homophobic’ comments, the aforementioned Frank Ocean is openly bisexual and his childhood friend/DJ in his group (Syd The Kid) is a lesbian. He obviously does not hate homosexuals.
here is another American with some sentiments you might appreciate more: http://www.upworthy.com/theres-a-good-reason-this-18-year-old-kid-talked-back-to-his-teacher-walked-out-and-got-an-f-5?c=ufb1
he does use some profanity, but his comments are still valid.
Really Ned? You really don’t think the author and other commenters have listened to his “music” prior to speaking out about this? (gee the word music gets thrown around a lot these days!)
Sadly Ned, his “good work” which according to you, seems to amount to a few song lyrics and being supportive of two mates. (is that really such an amazing thing to you Ned? You realise that plenty of people support friends through tough times right?)
And he associates with a few homosexuals and women, which means that all women and homosexuals are totally cool with his misogynist, homophobic act. And it also completely eliminates any of the harm that he is doing through whipping up a crowd of young men into a frenzy with angry, woman hating rantings, that concert goers are supposed to interpret as art. Not buying it Ned.
And maybe you don’t think that “abusing women is cool.” But you seem to think it is ok for Tyler to make some serious coin from making light of violence against women. And that’s probably just as bad. You’ve been completely sucked in Ned, time for a rethink.
Well said Jemma.
Agreed Jemma! People say that music is just entertainment well what a sick way for Tyler to entertain his listeners! Further still his record company and manager are just as much to blame for his music being heard around the world, teaching young people its ok to joke about rapping women! Disgusted by Tyler and to think there are other musicians out there producing similar stuff…
“Tyler the Creator.” Cute name his puppetmasters gave him. X/
You are all far too close-minded for me to even bother arguing this point further. I will simply leave you with some lyrics from Tyler…
‘About as threatening as stained windbreakers in hurricanes
But he hates women, and spits wrong like he hates dentists
God damn menace, 666, and he’s not finished
But shit’s missing, he hates women but loves kittens
See you *****s tripping man
Look at that article that says my subject matter is wrong
Saying I hate gays even though Frank is on 10 of my songs
Look at that mum who thinks I’m evil, holds that grudge against me
Though I’m the reason that her son got to eat
Look at the kid who had the 9’ and tried to blow out his mind
But talk is money, I said ‘hi’, I guess I bought him some time.’
I’ll repeat myself once again, if any of you bothered to listen to his music beyond the ‘shocking lyrics’ (which are taken out of context anyway) you would realise that his bad reputation stems from people just like yourselves who don’t actually give him a chance.
This is an email I just wrote to the City of Melbourne. I sent a similar one also to Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, who is a White Ribbon ambassador. They can be contacted at lordmayor@melbourne.vic.gov.au and events@melbourne.vic.gov.au
Dear Events team,
I would like to enquire about an event taking place at the Palace Theatre this Friday 7th June. The Palace will be hosting American rapper Tyler the Creator, whose lyrics are filled with extreme hate speech against women. There has been a campaign this last week to revoke his visa to visit Australia. I would like to know what responsibilities venues have when they are given a license by the City of Melbourne?
There is a link to recent media below if you are unaware of this performer.
http://www.news.com.au/national-news/us-hip-hop-singer-who-raps-about-rape-and-murdering-women-granted-visa-by-federal-government/story-fncynjr2-1226657296684
I have been struck by image of tens of thousands of people marching last September after the death of Jill Meagher, taking a stand against violence, and then the same city welcoming this man, who is singing about exactly the same kind of things which were done to Jill. You can see below by clicking on any song that this is not about an odd lyric being hateful, but that singing about raping and murdering women is a main theme.
http://www.lyrics.com/tylerthecreator
I am not naive to think that the people who go to see him will run out and commit these offenses, but the reality is that messages like these normalise sexual assault, and is certainly not part of the solution which the Victorian government spends millions of dollars.
I understand this event is being hosted by the Palace theatre, and not the City of Melbourne, however as it is taking place in our city I thought it was relevant to contact you. At this point the Palace theatre is treating complaints as a joke. Surely when they are given a license by the City of Melbourne there are responsibilities that go along with that?
I hope that you will do what is in your power to stop these kind of performers being given a platform in Melbourne. This city is known for it’s creativity, freedom, diversity, and tolerance. I believe there is a difference between free speech and hate speech, and this falls into the latter.
I look forward to your response.
Kind Regards,
Jackie Martin
You might like to draw a comparison between the inaction of police in
> relation to Tyler the Creator’s (what a farcical title for a
> semi-literate advocate of drug abuse and rape) widely distributed
> vileness during his visit to Australia and the potentially widespread
> public harm it does, and the swift and energetic police action in
> relation to this uncertain crime of very limited exposure:
> http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/visual-arts/victoria-police-likel
> y-to-charge-artist-paul-yore-over-child-pornography/story-fn9d3avm-122
> 6656829926
>
> As a man, I find Tyler’s contempt for women and his determination to
> get sexual gratification whenever and however it suits him as
> expressed in his pedestrian lyrics as worthy of the most severe
> punishment.
>
> As a failing civil libertarian of the old 1970’s school, I am
> surprising myself by thinking that if he thinks women should be
> treated as he treats them in his lyrics, then he should at the very
> least be imprisoned and flogged regularly over a few decades to see
> how he likes being disempowered and dehumanised, although it would be
> better for the planet just to execute people espousing this sort of
> evil. No doubt my primitive recourse to simplistic violence is
> influenced by my outrage at the treatment by the offenders and the
> legal system of the victims in Monday night’s Four Corners program
> http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2013/06/03/3771075.htm .
>
> But, frankly, I don’t care much about noble libertarian principles any
> more in cases where people are just too big a threat to society to be
> allowed to walk among the rest of us. All modern liberal democratic
> societies have the seeds of their own downfall in excessively
> libertarian notions which allow that which should not be allowed for
> the common good. And 45 years ago, indeed even 10 years ago although
> with less conviction, I was opposed to censorship in general.
>
> I wonder why it is that Tyler’s lyrics expressed in Australia,
> extolling as they do the virtues of drug taking and sexual offences
> against women (while his total opus of pointless, self-indulgent,
> hatred and contempt for everyone but his vile self go close to being
> abstract crimes against humanity), don’t fall foul of some state and
> federal laws concerning publications inciting crime and using carriage
> services (e.g. telephone, internet) to the same purpose as well as
> using carriage services to offend, harass etc in relation to his
> reported Twitter responses to well-deserved criticism of his worthless
> conduct. You might like to explore this with a lawyer well-versed in
> communications etc law.
>
> Might I say that until now I have thought you tended to overstate your
> case on various issues, but in Tyler’s case that is impossible. Nobody
> could overstate how little is his contribution to art, entertainment,
> society and humanity, and what a worthy exercise it would be to
> expunge him and his lyrics from the public record.
>
> But I suppose that would offend the right of this sociopathic little
> turd to profit from carefully manufacturing outrage as a marketing
> tactic to compensate for his stunning lack of talent, not to mention
> depriving impressionable children of their right to experience all
> that is rich and diverse in different cultures.
Ned,
So your argument is essentially, “some of his lyrics don’t talk about raping pregnant bitches” and so we should all just leave him alone. And this would be the equivalent of “opening our minds.”
Maybe you would like survivors of sexual assault, who find not just his music triggering, but the fact that he is so popular and admired, to “open their minds?” They should get over it right, the fact that people are paying $ to see a guy with rape fantasies set to music.
Ned, the fact that he has some gay friends and some female friends, does not make his “music” any less harmful. Why would you think that the presence of some non violent lyrics means we should ignore the sick, twisted violent lyrics? You think the two cancel each other out?
Tyler fans are either patronising in the extreme, or downright abusive themselves. It seems Tyler is cultivating a generation of sociopaths.
Firstly, I would like to correct Damian who claims that Tyler condones drug abuse. Like I previously said, if you cared to do your research you would realise that Tyler has never touched any form of drug, including alcohol. I personally admire him tremendously for this and his views, obviously alongside my parents, peers and other role models, have helped form my opinion regarding alcohol and drugs.
Jemma, I find it funny that you label his fans ‘a generation of sociopaths.’ This is such an extreme generalisation that it is laughable. Your assertion that his fans are ‘patronising’ and ‘downright abusive’ is ridiculous, especially considering I am a huge fan of his and neither of these things could be said about me. I am a very responsible young man – I am currently completing year 12 with straight A+ grades and am on track for a high 90s ATAR score, I have been working my current part time job for almost 3 years, at times managing a large retail store within this role, and I have never once touched any form of drugs with the exception of alcohol, which I enjoy responsibly and in moderation. It would seem that your assertions are misplaced and just plain wrong.
I’m not saying that some of the things that he says are okay, I am simply saying that they have been taken out of context and for the most part, are not used to degrade women. Like I previously said, these lyrics are a part of a song telling a story. As Tyler has previously said, he views every song as a movie. Why are some of these things considered such a big deal when he says them in a song yet not when something equally horrific (and much, much more graphic) is shown in a movie?
I respect the fact that you do not like Tyler’s music, but to label him all of these things based off some ‘cherry-picked’ evidence is not right.
I’ll be having a great time this time tomorrow night as I get to see one of my favourite artists for the second time. I hope you also have a nice day.
@Ned: people love the TV show main character in Dexter – lots of women too – but for some reason writing and singing a song about a serial killer is wrong. Go figure huh?
I’m also curious why the cost to the taxpayer has any bearing on the argument that violence against people is wrong, and should be discouraged and combated.
If the cost was $0 would the argument be weakened?
Like most right-minded people on this forum, I think Tyler and his music should be completely banned in Australia. Such filthy and derogatory content should also be removed from all film, television shows, and literature. I look forward to the inevitable future when our minds are censored, and we receive an appropriate electric shock for thinking any immoral thoughts.
I would like to start out that the article lost all credibility when it said that because I enjoy a rap song that I find rape and violence entertaining. That is a disgusting misrepresentation of fact and fiction. Tyler the Creator says at the beginning of one of his songs “This is fucking fiction”. If you watch a film with a character who rapes someone, is that not entertainment from violence?
I am yet to read a reasonable, logical comment from someone who opposes Tyler’s lyrics. There are a plethora of unbiased studies that strongly indicate violent media does not cause violent actions. I can understand that it is very easy to see the media hype and be outraged but the facts are not being presented fairly. Stop demonising a kid making music about a fictional character because you’re offended. Stop trying to take away my right to see a performer sing fictional lyrics from the perspective of a fictional character because you’re offended.
I sympathise with victims of violence, having been one myself, but media is not responsible. We as individuals in command of our own actions and mind are. If someone commits an act of violence it is because they chose to do so. Our laws and morals are very clear on how we as a society feel about this. Don’t confuse fiction with reality and don’t take the responsibility off of the individual.
Artistic freedom will not be silenced. Peace and love.