M.I.A. sues Kid Cudi for $2.8 million and says she was kicked off his US tour to 'generate publicity' after onstage rant about 'being cancelled for being a Republican voter'

M.I.A. is suing Kid Cudi for $2.8 million after she was kicked off his Rebel Ragers Tour following a controversial rant at one of his recent concerts.

It was confirmed last month that British singer M.I.A. - whose real name is Mathangi Arulpragasam - had been fired following a series of 'offensive remarks' she made during her performance.

The rapper told an audience in Dallas on the North American tour on May 2 that she had been 'cancelled' for promoting her political views. 

A new statement from her team reveals the musician is suing the US artist. 'Kid Cudi's attempts to silence freedom of artistic expression and speech on his 'Rebel Rager's Tour' cannot go unchallenged,' reads the statement. 

'Kid Cudi claimed shock over her comments he now labels as 'offensive' and his abrupt and unjustified termination of her performance agreement is a desperate attempt to sell tickets for his tour that was drastically underselling.'

'As a result, his false allegations have fueled a misguided, hive-minded pile-on based on a deliberate misrepresentation of her words.'

Variety reports that the figure of $2.8 million 'comes from a guarantee between the Rebel Ragers Tour promoter, Live Nation, and M.I.A. and her company, Neet Touring LLP'. 

Lawyers for M.I.A. claim Live Nation agreed to pay her that amount 'regardless of what she said on stage.' 

'Here is the truth. M.I.A. was terminated to generate publicity for the Tour, which has struggled with ticket sales,' reads the lawsuit obtained by Variety. 

'She was contractually allowed to say whatever she wanted on stage. M.I.A. now holds Kid Cudi accountable for his bad faith destruction of her contractual rights, business opportunities, and reputation.'

During her May 2 viral on stage comments, M.I.A., who was born in London and raised partly in Sri Lanka, said: 'I never thought I would be cancelled for being a brown Republican voter.'

In videos taken of the moment, she was booed when she said she could not play her song Illegal because it could apply to some members of the audience.

Illegal, was written from the perspective of a refugee fleeing violence and persecution, after M.I.A. grew up in London as the child of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka, living through genuine poverty and racism.

She said: 'Can't do Illegal, but some of you could be in the audience. I'm illegal. Half of my team are not here because they didn't get the visa.

'So don't listen to what the bots say on the internet. Once you are this, you always will be. We should be above politics.'

After her stunt, Kid Cudi revealed he had been flooded with demands to fire her from his Rebel Ragers Tour.

Kid Cudi, real name Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, said he had been inundated with messages demanding she be fired from the Rebel Ragers Tour.

Kid, whose real name is Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, wrote on Instagram: '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.

'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.'

While M.I.A. was previously anti-Trump in her views, following the Covid pandemic she seemingly swung and began to endorse Robert F. Kennedy Jr and Trump, before his last election.

In 2024, she wrote on social media: 'Trump is going to ride America through the most challenging 4 years coming pulling out weed, and RFK will inherit America when God is ready to replant and rebuild it righteously.'

M.I.A., hours later on X, wrote in all caps: 'I wrote 'ILLYGAL' on the MAYA LP, a song from 2010. I started the intro to the song with the statement saying I'm 'illygal,' and I said my team hadn't gotten visas yet. Then I played a song with lyrics saying 'F*** the law,' which I still believe—if the law is unjust, f*** it.

Do not gaslight my words. That is the work of Satan.

I wrote 'Borders,' 'ILLYGAL,' and 'Paper Planes' before you thought immigrant rights were cool. I've fought these battles by myself, without the help of millions of fans backing me. I don't need this virtue-signaling era to suddenly erase an entire life I've lived.

'Jesus was an immigrant and a rebel. I have no apology for the judgemental, the wicked, and the ignorant, for those are spirits that we must overcome in our lives and in this world.

'Jesus returns to lead the world justly because there is injustice in this world. I'm proud of those who fight for it every day. God bless you. Go listen to 'M.I.A. 7.'

M.I.A, who rose to prominence in 2008 after the release of her song Paper Planes, returned to the UK as a refugee during the Sri Lankan civil war as a child.

M.I.A. has been repeatedly controversial for her outspoken political views—especially on war, immigration, and religion—along with provocative performances (like her Super Bowl gesture), criticism of governments and media, and statements that critics have at times labelled conspiratorial or inflammatory.