“I’ve been canceled for many reasons. I never thought I would be canceled for being a brown Republican voter.”
Kid Cudi has removed M.I.A. from his Rebel Ragers tour following a run of onstage comments that didn’t land with the crowd in Dallas.
During the May 2 show at Dos Equis Pavilion, M.I.A. made a series of political remarks that were met with boos.
At one point, she told the audience, “I’ve been canceled for many reasons. I never thought I would be canceled for being a brown Republican voter.”
While introducing her 2010 track Illegal, she added, “I can’t do ‘Illegal,’ though some of you could be in the audience.” The line drew a strong reaction at the time, with some interpreting it as a jab at immigration status.
Two days later, Cudi confirmed on Instagram that she’d been removed from the 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… I’ve been flooded with messages from fans that were upset by her rants. I won’t have someone on my tour making offensive remarks that upsets my fanbase.”
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M.I.A. responded on X, saying her comments had been taken out of context. She said the “Illegal” remark was about visa issues affecting her team, and pointed to her history of addressing immigration in her music.
She also told fans not to be “agents of division,” and noted that a large percentage of the Latino community supports the GOP.
The Rebel Ragers tour is continuing without her, with Big Boi, A-Trak and Dot Da Genius still on the lineup.
A recent Birmingham date was also cancelled due to low ticket sales, though that’s not connected to the Dallas incident.
For now, it looks like a straightforward call from Cudi to keep the tone of the tour consistent – even if it means cutting a high-profile support act mid-run.
