Kid Cudi says he removed M.I.A. from his tour over offensive 'rants' at show

Pop Culture NewsKid Cudi says he removed M.I.A. from his tour over offensive 'rants' at showThe rapper said he received a flood of messages from fans who were upset over the British artist's remarks at recent shows. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Kid Cudi; M.I.A.AFP; Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 4, 2026, 4:53 PM EDTBy Doha MadaniKid Cudi announced that he was cutting M.I.A. as an opener on his current tour after he says fans reached out over the singer's "offensive remarks" and "rants" on stage. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The rapper, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi, wrote on his Instagram story that the British rapper and singer would no longer appear on his "Rebel Ragers" tour following his Dallas show. Mescudi wrote that he had notified her team prior to the start of the tour that he did not want "anything offensive" at his shows and was assured she understood. "After the last couple shows, I've been flooding with messages from fans that were upset by her rants," Mescudi wrote. "This, to me, is very disappointing and I won't have someone on my tour making offensive remarks that upsets my fanbase." Mescudi's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. M.I.A.'s legal name is Mathangi Arulpragasam, though she also often goes by Maya. She gained popularity in the early 2000s with singles such as "Paper Planes" and "Galang." It's unclear exactly what happened with Arulpragasam on the tour, but many fans posted online that she was booed on stage during Mescudi's Dallas show on Saturday. Some clips of her comments were posted online, but the full context of her remarks are unclear. She allegedly talked to the crowd about her Republican political views, according to a caption on one video, before telling the audience she would not perform her song "Illygal" though some in the crowd "might be." "Alright, I'm illega...