Tyler, the Creator forced to cancel first UK show in four years

The artist hinted at a surprise show in London on Twitter

Tyler, the Creator pictured before being banned from the UK

Tyler, the Creator has returned to the UK for the first time since being banned from entering the country in 2015.

The artist was banned by Theresa May, who was Home Secretary at the time. She cited lyrics from his first mixtape, Bastard, released in 2009, as the reason for the ban.

“Coming to the UK is a privilege,” a letter from the government said at the time, “and we expect those who come here to respect our shared values”.

The ban – which led to Tyler cancelling a show at Reading and Leeds festival – was reportedly lifted earlier this year, on the 13 February. It is understood that the rapper arrived at Luton Airport in the early hours of the morning (18 May).

Tyler posted a picture of himself standing outside Buckingham Palace on Twitter and teased a secret show later in the day, with the photograph's caption reading: “LONDON; IGOR; 3PM; WILL UPDATE YOU LATER WITH LOCATION.”

Tyler later revealed that the show was due to take place at Bussey building in Peckham at 3pm. The streets soon flooded with fans or the rapper, with so many people turning up that the show was cancelled.

"Too rowdy, cops cancelled it, go home," he wrote on Twitter. "I tried, the gate climbing nail in the coffin, they go nervous, too bad was a cool idea but hey."

A spokesman for the Metropolitan police has since said that, while they were present on the ground, it was the venue's decision to cancel the show over safety concerns.

Tyler released his sixth album IGOR yesterday (18 May). The Independent awarded the record five stars, with our critic calling it Tyler’s “best work to date”.

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The record serves as the follow-up to his acclaimed 2017 LP Flower Boy, and includes credits for Kanye West, Lil Uzi Vert, Al Green, Playboi Carti and Cullen Omori (formerly of Smith Westerns) as co-writers. West is not credited as a featured artist but can be heard on the track “Puppet”.