Kid Cudi has announced that M.I.A. is no longer part of his Rebel Ragers Tour, following a controversial on-stage rant in Dallas. The decision was shared on Instagram on May 4, with Cudi stating he had requested no offensive content at his shows and was assured by M.I.A.'s team that this would be respected.
The incident occurred on May 2 at the Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas, where M.I.A. was booed during a monologue that included remarks about being a 'brown Republican voter' and references to her song 'Illegal.' She also said, 'I can’t do “Illegal,” though some of you could be in the audience.'
In his Instagram post, Cudi 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... 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 on X, defending her actions and stating her words were taken out of context. She wrote: '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... DO NOT GASLIGHT MY WORDS.' She also referenced her history of addressing immigrant rights in her music.
The Rebel Ragers Tour, which began on April 28 in Phoenix, includes 30 North American dates. Big Boi remains on the bill, with A-Trak, Me N Ü and Dot Da Genius also scheduled to open select shows.
