Kid Cudi drops singer M.I.A. from tour after Dallas onstage remarks

Rapper Kid Cudi has removed M.I.A. from his Rebel Ragers Tour after the Sri Lankan singer made comments at a Dallas concert that drew boos from the crowd and complaints from fans.

The Rebel Ragers Tour launched April 28 in Phoenix and is expected to make stops in over 30 cities across North America. Big Boi, A-Trak, Me N U and Dot Da Genius are also featured on the tour.

The controversy stems from a Saturday performance at the Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas, where M.I.A. was booed during a monologue that included remarks about being “canceled for being a brown Republican voter.” She also said, “I can’t do [her song] ’Illegal,’ though some of you could be in the audience.” 

As boos grew louder, M.I.A. added, “Alright, I’m illegal. Half of my team are not here because they didn’t get the visa. I want you to know that.” 

Kid Cudi announced the decision on Monday via his Instagram Stories.

“TOUR UPDATE: 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,” he wrote. “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.” 

M.I.A. responded Monday on X, disputing the characterization of her remarks and tying them to her 2010 album “Maya.”

“I WROTE ’ILLYGAL’ ON THE MAYA LP A SONG FROM 2010,” she wrote. “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 GASLIGHT MY WORDS. THAT IS THE WORK OF SATAN.”

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She continued: “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. I HAVE NO APPOLGY FOR THE JUDGEMENTAL THE WICKED AND THE IGNORENT.”

In a separate post, M.I.A. noted that she is not eligible to vote in the United States, pushing back against the “brown Republican voter” framing that circulated widely after the Dallas show.

Kid Cudi also announced in the same Instagram Stories statement that a scheduled stop in Birmingham, Alabama, had been canceled due to low ticket sales. “I wanted to go to Alabama becuz its one of the many places in the US where I haven’t ever performed,” he wrote. “I wanted to give yall a special experiece, but the ticket sales just werent strong enough.” 

The Rebel Ragers Tour is the rapper’s first major tour since 2022. Big Boi is also featured on the tour’s remaining dates. 

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