Kid Cudi has removed M.I.A. as an opening act from his ongoing Rebel Ragers Tour after fans complained about her remarks at recent shows. The decision followed backlash at a Dallas performance on May 2. M.I.A. responded by defending her views on immigration and politics.
Kid Cudi announced on May 4 that M.I.A. is no longer part of his Rebel Ragers Tour, which kicked off on April 28 in Phoenix. He shared the update on Instagram, stating he had warned her team before the tour began against offensive comments at his shows. “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,” Cudi wrote. The tour features M.I.A. as a co-opener alongside Big Boi, though no replacement has been announced. The next stop is scheduled for May 5 in Birmingham, Alabama, with another show set for May 7 in Atlanta. During her set at Dallas’ Dos Equis Pavilion on May 2, M.I.A. drew boos from the crowd. She remarked, “I can’t do ‘Illegal’, though some of you could be in the audience,” and added, “I’ve been cancelled for many reasons, I never thought I would be cancelled for being a brown Republican voter.” She also said half her team lacked visas and urged the audience to rise above politics. M.I.A. quickly responded on X, rejecting the criticism. “I wrote ‘Borders’ and ‘Illegal’ and ‘Paper Planes’ before you thought immigrant rights were cool. I’ve had these 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,” she posted. She referenced her support for Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election and noted that 48 percent of the Latin community voted for him. M.I.A. recently released her gospel-influenced album M.I.7.
