Rapper Kodak Black and his road crew have been denied entry to Canada ahead of a scheduled performance Tuesday night in Vancouver, British Columbia, according to an Instagram post by Kodak’s on-stage DJ.
The rapper from Pompano Beach is currently in the midst of his 32-city “Dying To Live” tour, which began March 14 in New Orleans. Black was slated to perform in Vancouver at the PNE forum Tuesday night after playing in Seattle on Monday night.
An Instagram post by DJ Showtime, who accompanies Kodak Black on stage, stated “Canada Didn’t Let Us In.”
“I didn’t know [it] was so hard getting into Canada, but for all the fans who wanted to see Kodak Black tonight sorry! Y’all government don’t play the radio, just know we tried to get in there for y’all and Kodak is very upset about the outcome of this situation,” the post explained.
A tweet from the venue in Vancouver said Kodak Black’s concert Tuesday night had been cancelled due to “scheduling conflicts” but that a makeup show was scheduled for May 7.
Showtime said in another post that there were no hard feelings over the situation.
“We not mad we understand we just have to get our s— together next time so we can [see] the beautiful land of Canada.”
It wasn’t yet clear why Kodak wasn’t allowed into Canada. The rapper has a history of legal problems and jail stints, and much like the U.S., foreigners seeking entry to Canada can be denied for a host of reasons ranging from seemingly minor paperwork issues all the way up to being viewed as a threat to national security.
The Canadian border is policed by Canada Border Services Agency, the Canadian equivalent of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
It also wasn’t clear if Kodak Black and his road crew were denied at the border or if they were told in advance by Canadian officials that they wouldn’t be permitted entry.
In an emailed statement, Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson Lisa White said the agency does not confirm or deny whether or not a person has been admitted or not to Canada. As such White declined to confirm that Kodak Black had been refused entry.
“Canada privacy laws prevent me from providing specific as such it is not the practice of the CBSA [Canada Border Services Agency] to confirm/deny the entry of any one person to Canada,” White stated in the email.
“Admissibility of all travelers is decided on a case-by-case basis and based on the information made available at the time of entry,” the email also said. “Several factors are used in determining admissibility into Canada, including involvement in criminal activity, and in human rights violations, to name but a few.”