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Pa Salieu claims he’s been dropped from Commonwealth Games ceremony

According to the Coventry rapper’s statement, his performance has been cancelled after he failed a background check.

In a Twitter thread yesterday, Pa Salieu shared footage of rehearsals for his upcoming show at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony. Alongside the video he said that on 1 August he recieved a call that he was being removed from the show. Continuing the post he wrote, “I can’t keep being silent about this stuff!! I’ve already had to cancel 90% of my shows this year because the Home Office won’t process the paperwork I need to travel abroad until my court case is finished.”

The court case in question refers to a violent disorder brawl in 2018 that resulted in his friend being stabbed to death. Salieu has since been cleared of involvement in the incident but was found to be in possession of an offensive weapon. His court case was due to be concluded in May but “they just keep moving the final sentencing date,” he said in the post.

“I’ve consistently been trying to use my career to show people where I’m from that there is another life for us. One away from the roads,” he continued. “But what can you do if the police, the justice system and the Home Office don’t care about you and put everything possible in your way to stop you trying to get on with your life?”

Salieu had been due to perform at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Birmingham on 8 August. “Next week’s celebration should have been a celebration,” Salieu concluded the post. “What is the real reason here? How can you fail a “background check” to perform at a closing ceremony, what does that even mean?” Read the full statement below.

This isn’t the first time Pa Salieu has had issues with authorities pulling his shows. Last year he took to social media to speak about his headline show in Coventry being cancelled.

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