Grammy award-winning rapper Kid Cudi has removed singer-songwriter M.I.A. from his Rebel Ragers tour following what he described as “offensive remarks” that reportedly upset members of his audience.
Footage circulating online shows the British artist being booed during a support performance in Dallas, Texas, after she suggested she would be unable to perform her song Illygal, which references an undocumented migrant, because its meaning could apply to people in the crowd.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Kid Cudi said he had been contacted by fans who were unhappy with the incident, adding that he was “very disappointed” by what occurred during the show.
He also stated that he had made his expectations clear before the tour began. He wrote that he had told M.I.A.’s management he “didn’t want anything offensive,” and believed her team had understood those conditions.
M.I.A., whose real name is Mathangi Arulpragasam, was serving as the opening act on the Rebel Ragers tour.
Video from the 2 May performance shows audience members reacting negatively after she told the crowd,“I’ve been cancelled for many reasons. I never thought I would be canceled for being a brown Republican voter.”
She also said she would not perform Illygal, adding it could relate to some people in the audience.
Following the backlash, she posted on X that she is unable to vote in the United States, despite previously describing herself as a Republican voter.
Born in London to Sri Lankan parents, M.I.A. rose to prominence in the early 2000s with her distinctive musical style and politically charged themes.
She gained global recognition with her 2008 hit Paper Planes, which reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.
She was also nominated for an Oscar for O… Saya from the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack.
In recent years, however, she has drawn criticism for a series of controversial views, including statements that led to accusations of being anti-vaccine.
After backlash over a post in which she said she would “take death” over a Covid-19 jab, she later clarified that she was not against vaccines but opposed pharmaceutical companies driven by profit.
In 2024, she also launched a clothing line featuring designs claiming to protect wearers from Wi-Fi and 5G signals, claims widely dismissed by scientists.
She has also publicly expressed support for President Donald Trump.
After being dropped from Kid Cudi’s tour, M.I.A. responded on X, saying she wrote Illygal “before you thought immigrant rights were cool”.
She added, “I’ve has these battles myself without the help of millions of fans backing me,” she wrote.
“I don’t need this virtue signal era to all of a sudden erase an entire life I’ve led.”
