Northampton rapper Slowthai has been removed from the lineups of two major music festivals in the U.K. His removal follows recent news that he is now facing two rape charges. The rapper was scheduled to perform at England's Glastonbury Festival in June, but his name has now been removed from the lineup poster. Slowthai also had scheduled performances at both Reading and Leeds Festivals in August. His name also no longer appears in those lineups. Slowthai is also scheduled to perform at various other music festivals across the U.K. in upcoming months, but it is unclear whether the rapper was dropped from those festivals as well.
Yesterday (May 16), news broke that the rapper has appeared in court, facing two charges of rape. He was charged with the oral and vaginal penetration of a woman without her consent in Oxford in September of 2021. The rapper was released on bail and is set to appear next month at Oxford crown court. In his recent court appearance, he only spoke once to confirm his name, date of birth, and address.
Read More: Slowthai Facing Two Rape Charges
Slowthai Says He's Innocent
The rapper took to Instagram to defend himself shortly after the news broke. He wrote to his followers, “i am innocent and I am confident my name will be cleared.” Adding, “until then i will apply my energy to ensure this is concluded swiftly and justly.” He then asked his supporters not to “comment about this situation,” and to “respect the process and privacy of [his] family at this time.”
Slowthai released his third album, Ugly, in March of this year. Discussing the album, he said "People see you as a character. They don’t actually know who you are. You’re stereotyped as the nutter who gets in his boxers.” He continued, "I was doing that to show that you should be free at shows and enjoy yourself but you choose to see me as an idiot.” “It doesn’t matter what or who people think you are, you’ve just got to stay true and respect yourself," he added. He called his "ugly" face tattoo, “a reminder to love myself, rather than put myself down constantly or feel the impression people have of me should determine who I am as a person.”
Read More: Who Is Slowthai?