Kid Cudi is the target of a lawsuit from his former tourmate, M.I.A., after she delivered what some felt were offensive remarks. Now, M.I.A. is suing Kid Cudi for millions, adding in the claim that the rapper and vocalist kicked her off the tour to drum up ticket sales.
In reports from Variety and NBC News, M.I.A., real name Mathangi Arulpragasam, filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles court last Friday, alleging that Kid Cudi, real name Scott Mescudi, booted her from the Rebel Ragers tour to stir up controversy and spark curiosity as the tour’s ticket sales were low.
“Kid Cudi’s attempts to silence freedom of artistic expression and speech on his ‘Rebel Rager’s Tour’ cannot go unchallenged,” read a statement from M.I.A.’s legal team. “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.”
During a May 2 stop on the tour, M.I.A. launched into a rant that referenced her voting stances as she introduced the “Illygal” track.
“I’ve been canceled for many reasons. I never thought I would be canceled for being a brown Republican voter.” She added, “I can’t do ‘Illygal,’ though some of you could be in the audience.”
The $2.8 million figure from the lawsuit accounts for guarantee funds and a clause that allegedly says that M.I.A. was allowed to say whatever she wanted onstage.
In a May 4 statement on social media, Kid Cudi wrote, “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. 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 wont have someone on my tour making offensive remarks that upsets my fanbase. Thank you for understanding. Rager.”
Cudi has yet to respond publicly to the lawsuit filing.
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Photo: Getty
