Kid Cudi drops M.I.A. from tour after her onstage rant about being a 'brown Republican voter'

Kid Cudi has removed M.I.A. from his Rebel Ragers Tour following backlash over remarks calling herself a "brown Republican voter" she made during a recent concert stop in Texas.

The announcement came after M.I.A. delivered a monologue during the May 2 Dallas show at Dos Equis Pavilion, where video circulated online showing her being booed by members of the crowd.

During the remarks, M.I.A. said, “I’ve been canceled for many reasons. I never thought I would be canceled for being a brown Republican voter.” She also told the audience, “I can’t do ‘Illegal,’ though some of you could be in the audience.” Kid Cudi announced her removal from the tour in an Instagram post on May 4, reports Variety.

“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.

He continued: “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 won't have someone on my tour making offensive remarks that upsets my fanbase. Thank you for understanding. Rager.”

M.I.A. later responded in a post on X, written entirely in all caps, disputing how her comments had been characterized and defending her past work.

“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. Then played a song that had lyrics saying ‘fu&% the law,’ which I still believe. If the law is unjust, f@%& it,” she wrote. She added, “Do not gaslight my words. That is the work of Satan.”

The artist also defended her history of addressing immigration issues in music, writing: “I wrote Borders and Illygal 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.”

M.I.A. concluded the statement with religious references, writing: “Jesus was an immigrant and a rebel. I have no apology for the judgemental, the wicked, and the ignorant.”

The Rebel Ragers Tour began on April 28 in Phoenix and is scheduled to hit 30 North American cities.