British rapper M.I.A. filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit last week against Kid Cudi, accusing him of dropping her from his tour “to generate publicity” for shows that have “struggled with ticket sales.”
Kid Cudi, the “Paper Planes” rapper whose legal name is Scott Mescudi, announced after a show in Dallas last month that he would no longer appear on the “Rebel Ragers” tour because of M.I.A.’s “offensive remarks that” had upset fans.
But in a federal lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Friday, M.I.A. — whose legal name is Mathangi Arulpragasam — said Kid Cudi had disingenuously “portrayed himself as an aggrieved headliner forced to protect his fans from an out-of-control support act.”
“Here is the truth. M.I.A. was terminated to generate publicity for the Tour, which has struggled with ticket sales,” according to the complaint, filed Friday by her attorney, Howard King.
“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,” the complaint said.
M.I.A. claimed Kid Cudi directed tour promoter Live Nation to fire her. It is not a defendant in the lawsuit.
In a viral video of her May 2 performance at the Dos Equis Pavilion shared by the artist herself, M.I.A. called herself “illegal” and said some in the audience “might be,” and the caption with the video said she referred to herself as a Republican.
In earlier shows on the tour, M.I.A. had spoken in support of Palestinian refugees and against ongoing policing actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the lawsuit claims.
M.I.A. has also expressed support for the Trump administration.
“During her performances on the Tour, M.I.A. made comments that were consistent with her public persona and prior performances,” according to King.
“Before M.I.A. agreed to join the Tour, Kid Cudi was aware of M.I.A.’s politically vocal reputation and her stances on immigration and genocide.”
A representative for Kid Cudi could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.
M.I.A. claims she is owed $2.8 million for the performances she agreed to do for the tour in addition to punitive damages.
