Lil Wayne has been pulled from Strawberries and Creem Festival after being banned from entering the UK.
The ‘Lollipop’ rapper has been set for his only European show of the year at this weekend’s event but he is no longer headlining on Saturday night (18.06.22).
In a statement, organisers said: “Due to extreme circumstances beyond our control or influence, we are very sorry to inform you that Lil Wayne is now unable to perform 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 the sudden and negative ruling.”
The festival’s team claimed they had “minimal notice” for the decision, while they revealed Lucadris would be stepping in as a replacement.
They added: “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.
“Across the weekend, we still have an incredible array of artists joining us. The team have all worked round the clock to secure a huge new name for Saturday too.
“We have brought in Grammy-winning rapper Ludacris to play a UK Exclusive set. He joins Tion Wayne, Mabel, Wilkinson, special guests and more on Saturday – with Tems, Knucks and more on Sunday.”
Lil Wayne – real name is Dwayne Michael Carter – was sentence to a year in prison in 2010 on a gun possession change, and he served eight months.
A decade later, he pleaded guilty to a federal weapons charge, but in January 2021 he was pardoned by then-US President Donald Trump.
Wayne has been denied entry to the UK due to his convictions in the past.
As reported by Home Office the BBC, the Home Office said it doesn’t comment on individual cases, but added: “Any individual who has been sentenced to a custodial sentence of 12 months or more must have their application refused.”
