M.I.A. Removed From Kid Cudi Tour After Onstage Comments

British musician M.I.A. was removed from her position as an opening act on Kid Cudi's Rebel Ragers Tour, the tour announced on May 5, 2026. The decision followed her performance on May 2 in Dallas, where audience members booed comments she made from the stage.

M.I.A. first addressed having been canceled for supporting Republicans. She then said the audience could not perform her 2010 track "Illygirl" because some attendees might be affected by immigration enforcement. When the crowd reacted negatively, she added that she is illegal, that half her team could not join her due to visa denials, and that people should not listen to what bots say on the internet.

"Once you're this, you're always that. ... We should be above politics," she told the audience. As a refugee from Sri Lanka's civil war who has faced her own difficulties obtaining a U.S. visa, M.I.A. appeared to reference experiences of displacement.

In a statement posted online the same day as the tour removal, M.I.A. wrote: "I wrote 'Borders' and 'Illygal' and 'Paper Planes' before you thought immigrant rights were cool. I've had thses battles by myself without the help of millions of fans backing me.

Those records mixed global sounds and addressed themes of conflict, immigration and underclass experience. Her song "Paper Planes" became a major hit and was later named the greatest song made by 21st century women and nonbinary artists in NPR's Turning the Tables series.

The artist has long described herself as a supporter of refugees and the Tamil people. She has also faced criticism for positions including skepticism toward vaccines and public statements that some observers describe as entering conspiracy territory.

In recent years she has identified as a born-again Christian. " NPR reported that her May 2 comments have prompted renewed discussion about the consistency of her public positions over time.

M.I.A. has previously clashed with critics over her views on technology, government surveillance and media. In 2010 she released the song "The Message," which drew connections between consumer devices, the internet and government. When documents later revealed National Security Agency access to data from companies including Google, Apple and Facebook, she pointed back to earlier criticism she had received.

She has also engaged directly with fans and detractors on social media platforms including Tumblr and Twitter. In one 2018 post she referenced investigations into Cambridge Analytica and noted that she felt vindicated in some of her earlier warnings.

M.I.A. performed at the Germania Insurance Amphitheater in Austin on May 1 before the Dallas show that led to her removal from the tour. >"I wrote 'Borders' and 'Illygal' and 'Paper Planes' before you thought immigrant rights were cool. I've had thses battles by myself without the help of millions of fans backing me.