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During an opening act for Kid Cudi’s Rebel Ragers tour, M.I.A. delivered a speech that didn’t sit well with the audience, resulting in a chorus of boos. In her address, she claimed to be a Republican and insinuated that there might be undocumented immigrants among the crowd. This sparked an online backlash, prompting Kid Cudi to announce her removal from the tour lineup.
M.I.A. went on a rant while opening for Kid Cudi
On May 2, M.I.A. took to the stage to speak openly to the attendees of Cudi’s tour.
“I’ve been canceled for various reasons,” she remarked, according to Consequence of Sound. “But never did I anticipate being canceled for being a brown Republican voter.”
Continuing, she informed the crowd about her inability to perform the song “Illygirl,” which led her to question the legal status of some audience members.
“I can’t do ‘Illegal,’ although some of you might be here illegally,” she commented.
At this point, the boos grew louder, leading M.I.A. to attempt damage control.
“I’m illegal — half of my team aren’t here because they couldn’t get their visa.”
Notably, M.I.A. is a citizen of the United Kingdom, not the United States. As a result, she cannot vote in American elections, though she did endorse Donald Trump.
Kid Cudi said M.I.A. is no longer on his tour
After audience members posted videos of the performance online, the clips began to spread quickly. Before long, Cudi addressed the situation on his Instagram account. He said he’d always felt trepidatious about including her on the tour.
“TOUR UPDATE: M.I.A is no longer on this tour,” he wrote. “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 said a number of his fans reached out to him about her comments.
“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 wont have someone on my tour making offensive remarks that upsets my fanbase. Thank you for understanding. Rager.”
A-Trak, Me N Ü, and Dot Da Genius are still scheduled to open on the tour on certain dates. Big Boi will perform on all dates.
She responded to her firing
Several hours after Cudi made his post, M.I.A. responded with a post of her own.
“I WROTE ILLYGAL ON THE MAYA LP A SONG FROM 2010. I STARTED THIS INTRO TO THE SONG WITH THE STATEMENT SAYING I’M ILLYGAL, AND I SAID MY TEAM HASN’T GOTTEN VISAS YET,” she wrote. “THEN PLAYED A SONG THAT HAD LYRICS SAYING “FU&% THE LAW”, WHICH I STILL BELIEVE, IF THE LAW IS UNJUST F@%& IT. DO NOT GASLIGHT MY WORDS. THAT IS THE WORK OF SATAN.”
She later noted that she will not apologize for her actions.
“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,” she wrote. “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.”