M.I.A. discovered that one joke was not going to fly with Kid Cudi's Dallas crowd. The British rapper was met with a wave of boos during her supporting set on Kid Cudi's Rebel Ragers tour after remarking on undocumented immigrants while introducing one of her songs.
'I can't do "Illygal", though some of you could be in the audience,' M.I.A. told concertgoers, according to footage from the 2 May show.
The crowd's response was immediate, erupting into jeers and boos.
M.I.A. subsequently attempted to clarify the remark by saying, 'I'm illegal,' while playing part of the track. Regardless, the noise the audience made after her unsettling joke was much the opposite of applause.
Unfortunately for the 'Paper Planes' hitmaker, the turbulence didn't end when she left the stage.
M.I.A.'s 'Illygal' Joke Gets Booed in Dallas
'Illygal' appears on M.I.A.'s 2010 album Maya and centres on the experience of an undocumented migrant. However, her introduction to the song wasn't the only comment that drew a frosty reception during the Dallas performance. M.I.A. also addressed the controversies that have followed her political views in recent years.
'I've been cancelled for many reasons. I never thought I would be cancelled for being a brown Republican voter,' she told the audience.
There was one complication with that description. After the concert, M.I.A. clarified on X that she 'can't vote in the U.S.' as a British citizen. The musician has nevertheless publicly expressed support for Donald Trump, including in posts ahead of the 2024 US presidential election.
M.I.A. Goes Missing in Action from the Rebel Ragers Tour
The fallout soon extended beyond the crowd. Kid Cudi announced that M.I.A. would no longer appear on his Rebel Ragers tour, saying he'd received numerous messages from fans upset by her remarks.
'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,' Cudi wrote on Instagram.
He added that the response from fans was 'very disappointing'.
'I wont have someone on my tour making offensive remarks that upsets my fanbase,' the rapper continued.
M.I.A. had been serving as a supporting act on the tour before her removal.
M.I.A. Responds After Tour Exit
The singer subsequently defended herself on social media, pushing back against criticism surrounding her comments.
In one post, M.I.A. pointed to the history behind the song at the centre of the controversy, writing that she created 'Illygal' 'before you thought immigrant rights were cool'.
She also rejected what she characterised as attempts to erase her previous experiences and political work. Ultimately, the Dallas audience made its opinion known before Kid Cudi made his own decision equally clear.
M.I.A. walked onstage expecting to perform as part of the Rebel Ragers tour. After one 'Illygal' remark, a chorus of boos, and a very public disagreement over where Cudi draws the line, she ended up M.I.A. from the tour altogether.
Apparently, one 'Illygal' joke was enough to turn boos into a tour exit. Is this the law on illegal jokes?
