Festival cancellation
Brits are banning Lil Wayne for festival
Lil Wayne was barred from entering the UK.
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Lil Wayne can’t perform at the “Strawberries & Creem” festival in Cambridge as planned, the British rejected his visa application.
It was supposed to be his first UK concert in 14 years: now Lil Wayne (39) had to cancel his appearance at the “Strawberries & Creem” festival next weekend in Cambridge. In a statement The organizers stated: “Due to extreme circumstances beyond our control or influence, we regret to inform you that Lil Wayne is unable to perform at the festival on Saturday 18th June.”
The US rapper was denied entry to Great Britain in a “last-minute decision directly by the Home Office”. “We are deeply disappointed by this sudden and negative verdict,” emphasize the organizers. Little information was received and the timing of the decision was annoying for everyone involved.
Substitute for Lil Wayne
The festival team worked around the clock to find a “big new name” for the vacated slot for Saturday: US rapper and Grammy winner Ludacris (44) will stand in for Lil Wayne at the event in Cambridge. Furthermore, due to the cancellation, ticket holders can receive a free ticket for Sunday 19 June or a discount on tickets for next year’s festival as compensation.
In a statement on Wednesday, Britain’s Home Office said according to the Guardians: “Any person sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 12 months or more must have their application denied.” As the British newspaper further reports, Lil Wayne had to cancel a tour in the UK in 2011 after his visa application was reportedly rejected by the British border authorities due to previous convictions in the USA. The appearance at “Strawberries & Creem” would have been his only one in Europe in 2022.
Lil Wayne was among 143 people to whom Donald Trump, 76, granted pardons or reduced sentences in one of his final acts as US President. The 39-year-old faced up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to illegal gun possession in Florida in late 2020. The musician had already served several months in prison in 2010 for violating the gun law. A loaded gun was found in his tour bus in 2007.