M.I.A. has responded to being booted from Kid Cudi’s Rebel Ragers Tour.
On May 4, Cudi announced that the “Paper Planes” artist was being removed going forward after making “offensive remarks” during an onstage speech on Saturday (May 2). M.I.A. replied to a fan posting the viral rant from the tour’s Dallas stop, where she opened for Cudi.
The British artist explained that she wouldn’t perform her song “Illygirl” and then touched on illegal immigration, political allegiances and issues her team had obtaining U.S. visas.
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“I WROTE ILLYGAL ON THE MAYA LP A SONG FROM 2010,” she wrote on X. “I STARTED THIS INTRO TO THE SONG WITH THE STATEMENT SAYING I’M ILLYGAL, AND I SAID MY TEAM HASN’T GOTTEN VISAS YET. THEN PLAYED A SONG THAT HAD LYRICS SAYING ‘FU&% THE LAW,’ WHICH I STILL BELIEVE, IF THE LAW IS UNJUST F@%& IT.”
“DO NOT GAS LIGHT MY WORDS. THAT IS THE WORK OF SATAN. I WROTE BORDERS AND ILLYGAL AND PAPER PLANES BEFORE YOU THOUGHT IMMIGRANT RIGHTS WERE COOL. I’VE HAD THSES BATTLES BY MYSELF WITHOUT THE HELP OF MILLIONS OF FANS BACKING ME . I DON’T NEED THIS VIRTUE SIGNAL ERA TO ALL OF A SUDDEN ERASE AN ENTIRE LIFE I’VE LED. JESUS WAS AN IMMIGRANT AND A REBEL.”
M.I.A. continued: “I HAVE NO APPOLGY FOR THE JUDGEMENTAL THE WICKED AND THE IGNORENT, FOR THOSE ARE SPIRITS THAT WE MUST OVER COME IN OUR LIVES AND IN THIS WORLD. JESUS RETURNS TO LEAD THE WORLD JUSTLY BECAUSE THERE IS INJUSTICE IN THIS WORLD . IM PROUD OF THOSE WHO FIGHT FOR IT EVERYDAY. GOD BLESS YOU. GO LISTEN TO M.I.7.”
The viral rant caught fire on social media over the weekend. “I’ve been canceled for many reasons. I never thought I would be canceled for being a brown Republican voter,” she said, per Variety.
Another TikTok video showed her claiming she’s “illegal” and how “some of you could be in the audience.”
“Alright, I’m illegal,” she added. “Half my team are not here because they didn’t get the visa,” she claimed. “OK, I want you to know that. Don’t listen to what the bots say on the internet.”
Kid Cudi put an end to M.I.A.’s tenure on the Rebel Ragers Tour after receiving messages from upset fans.
“TOUR UPDATE: M.I.A is no longer on this tour,” he wrote on his Instagram Story on May 4. “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,” he wrote. “After the last couple shows, I’ve been flooded with messages from fans that were upset by her rants.”
Cudi continued: “This, to me, is very disappointing and I wont have someone on my tour making offensive remarks that upsets my fanbase. Thank you for understanding. – Rager”
M.I.A. was one of several openers on the North American trek, which also includes Big Boi, A-Trak, me n ü and Dot Da Genius. Cudi also announced on his IG Story that his May 5 stop in Birmingham, Alabama, had been canceled due to low ticket sales. The tour will continue without M.I.A. in Atlanta on May 6 and make stops across North America through the end of June.
Billboard has reached out to Kid Cudi’s reps for comment.
