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In case you’ve missed it, M.I.A., the British singer behind 2000s smash-hit “Paper Planes,” went on a convoluted tirade at a show at Dos Equis Pavilion on Saturday, May 2. The artist, who was opening for Kid Cudi on his The Rebel Ragers Tour, has since been removed from the remaining show dates, according to a statement released by Cudi on Monday.
“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,” the headliner wrote in an Instagram story. “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.”
The controversial monologue in Dallas included M.I.A speaking about immigrants derogatorily as she referenced one of her songs titled “ILLYGIRL.”
“We can’t do ‘ILLYGIRL,’ though some of you could be in the audience,” she said to the crowd, which immediately booed.
The singer backtracked and went on to say she herself is “illegal” and that members of her crew could not join the tour because their visas weren’t approved. M.I.A., whose legal name is Mathangi Arulpragasam, was raised by Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in London after being displaced by the Sri Lankan Civil War at age 11.
Variety reports the singer went on to reference the continuous controversies that have plagued her career.
“I’ve been canceled for many reasons,” she said. “I never thought I would be canceled for being a brown Republican voter.”
This isn’t the only time the singer has used the spotlight as her pulpit for tangential and convictionless diatribes. Audience members of a September 2025 festival in Montreal said the singer went on an equally perplexing mid-show rant about Palestine, her wishy-washy support for President Donald Trump and avian influenza.
If we had a nickel for the number of times M.I.A has been fired for controversial statements; we’d have 10 cents too many. In 2016, the singer was dropped from the headline slot of Afropunk Festival in London after she said there was too much focus on the Black Lives Matter movement, and that energy was better suited for other humanitarian issues like violence against Muslim people, Rolling Stone reported.
But the questionable behavior doesn’t end with live-mic antics and a tongue that’s never been bitten. M.I.A is a known conspiracy theorist, questioning the efficacy of vaccines and having visions of Jesus Christ. In 2024, she started a clothing brand, Ohmni, which advertises as “armour of the modern knight in the age of modern technological warfare. Engineered for your protection.” The line, composed of metallic ponchos and head coverings, says it is designed to “[deflect] electromagnetic waves such as Wi-Fi & 5G with up to 99.999% shielding effectiveness.”
Now that M.I.A. has some free time on her hands, maybe she can work on costume design for Nicki Minaj’s next tour or design the pair of shiny pants Erika Kirk will undoubtedly wear for America’s 250th birthday in July.
