"I didn't want anything offensive at my shows"
British rapper and singer M.I.A. has been removed from Kid Cudi’s US tour after making controversial remarks at one of his recent concerts.
The artist was dropped from the Rebel Ragers Tour following what Kid Cudi described as “offensive remarks” made on stage during the North American run on May 2.
During her performance, M.I.A. told the audience she believed she had been “cancelled” because of her political views.
She said: “I never thought I would be cancelled for being a brown Republican voter.”
Videos shared online showed sections of the crowd booing after M.I.A. referenced her track ‘Illegal’ and suggested some audience members could relate to its themes surrounding immigration.
‘Illegal’ drew from M.I.A.’s own experiences growing up in London as the daughter of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka.
Addressing the crowd, she said: “Can’t do ‘Illegal’, but some of you could be in the audience. I’m illegal. Half of my team are not here because they didn’t get the visa.
“So don’t listen to what the bots say on the internet. Once you are this, you always will be. We should be above politics.”
The comments quickly sparked backlash online, with fans calling on Kid Cudi to remove her from the tour.
The rapper later confirmed that M.I.A. would no longer appear on the tour.
He wrote: “M.I.A. is no longer on this tour. I told my management to send a notice to her team before we started tour that I didn’t want anything offensive at my shows, cuz I already knew what time it was, and I was assured things were understood.
“After the last couple shows, I’ve been flooded with messages from fans that were upset by her rants.
“This, to me, is very disappointing, and I won’t have someone on my tour making offensive remarks that upsets my fanbase.”
Hours after Kid Cudi announced her removal from the tour, M.I.A. responded on X with a lengthy statement defending her comments.
She wrote: “I wrote ‘ILLYGAL’ on the MAYA LP, a song from 2010. I started the intro to the song with the statement saying I’m ‘illygal,’ and I said my team hadn’t gotten visas yet. Then I played a song with lyrics saying ‘F*** the law,’ which I still believe – if the law is unjust, f*** it.
“Do not gaslight my words. That is the work of Satan.”
“I wrote ‘Borders’, ‘ILLYGAL,’ and ‘Paper Planes’ before you thought immigrant rights were cool. I’ve fought these battles by myself, without the help of millions of fans backing me. I don’t need this virtue-signalling era to suddenly erase an entire life I’ve lived.
“Jesus was an immigrant and a rebel. I have no apology for the judgmental, the wicked, and the ignorant, for those are spirits that we must overcome in our lives and in this world.
“Jesus returns to lead the world justly because there is injustice in this world. I’m proud of those who fight for it every day. God bless you. Go listen to ‘M.I.A. 7’.”
M.I.A. has long been known for politically charged music and outspoken views. While she previously criticised Donald Trump publicly, her political stance appeared to shift following the Covid pandemic.
In 2024, she wrote on social media: “Trump is going to ride America through the most challenging 4 years coming pulling out weed, and RFK will inherit America when God is ready to replant and rebuild it righteously.”
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