Music

British Rapper Slowthai Quietly Axed From Festival Lineups After Rape Charge

DEAL WIV IT

Slowthai, a Grammy nominee, said he “categorically” denies the charges, insisting that he is innocent and “confident my name will be cleared.”

British rapper Slowthai
Henry Nicholls/Reuters

Slowthai, a Grammy-nominated rapper from Northampton, was seemingly yanked from the lineups of a number of upcoming music festivals in the United Kingdom after it was announced he’d been charged with rape. The 28-year-old, whose real name is Tyron Frampton, appeared virtually in court on Tuesday, where he was charged with the oral and vaginal penetration of a woman without her consent in an alleged 2021 incident in Oxford. His name has since been erased from two festivals set to occur next month—Glastonbury and Parklife—as well as August’s Reading and Leeds Festival. As of Wednesday, he was still set to perform at London’s Wembley Arena in July, according to Rolling Stone. After his court appearance, Frampton took to Instagram to address the matter. “Regarding the allegations being reported about me. I categorically deny the charges,” he wrote. “I am innocent and I am confident my name will be cleared. Until then I will apply my energy to ensure this is concluded swiftly and justly.”

Read it at BBC