Lil Wayne reportedly denied entry into the UK for festival appearance
Rapper has not performed in the UK for 14 years
By Sam Moore
Lil Wayne has reportedly been denied entry in the UK by the Home Office.
As a result, the rapper has been forced to cancel his headline appearance at this weekend’s Strawberries and Creem Festival in Cambridge.
The gig would have been his first UK performance in 14 years.
A statement released by the festival organisers earlier today said that a “last minute decision” had been made by the Home Office preventing Wayne from entering the country.
The statement reads: “Due to extreme circumstances beyond our control or influence, we are very sorry to inform you that Lil Wayne is now unable to perform at the festival on Saturday 18th June. Lil Wayne has been refused entry to the UK directly by the Home Office in a last-minute decision. We are deeply disappointed by this sudden and negative ruling.”
The statement concluded by saying: “We have received very minimal notice, and the timing of the decision is of course upsetting for all involved – including Lil Wayne’s fans, as well as the festival team.”
As a result of the late cancellation, Strawberries and Creem have offered Saturday ticket holders free entry for the Sunday or a discount for next year’s festival.
Strawberries and Creem also confirmed that Wayne would be replaced by actor and rapper Ludacris who is best known for his hits ‘What’s Your Fantasy’ and ‘Area Codes’ as well as his role in the Fast and Furious movie series.
Also appearing at the festival are Mabel, Tion Wayne, Knucks, Goldie, Ms Banks and Enny.
Wayne has faced a myriad of legal troubles recently including pleading guilty to a firearms offence in 2020. He would later be pardoned by Donald Trump on the former president’s last day in office.
The ‘Lollipop’ rapper is a convicted felon relating to a number of other gun charges.