Kid Cudi Fires Back At M.I.A. Lawsuit By Invoking First Amendment

BY Aron A.
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Kid Cudi performs in the Sahara tent during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., Sunday, April 21,
Kid Cudi performs in the Sahara tent during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., Sunday, April 21, 2024. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Kid Cudi responded to M.I.A's lawsuit.

The drama surrounding Kid Cudi’s last headlining tour continues to make headlines after the removal of M.I.A. and the subsequent lawsuit she filed against the Man On The Moon rapper. In response, Cudder said that his decision to remove her from the tour was protected by his constitutional right: the First Amendment.

Per TMZ, he said that the First Amendment protects his right to decide the political and artistic tone of his shows. M.I.A. previously accused him of unfairly firing her because of the political comments, even though she claims he was aware of where she stood politically in the first place. 

The lawsuit also alleges that Cudi’s decision led to a massive financial loss of $2.8M guaranteed from Live Nation, which Cudder said is a dispute she should resolve with Live Nation.

M.I.A. Sues Kid Cudi

Cudi booted her off the tour due to her on-stage commentary where she referenced voting Republican and then made offhand remarks. On X, she shared the transcript of her rant in which she said, “We can’t do ‘Illygal,’ though some of you could be in the audience.” She also noted how she and her team are also “illegal.” She also fired back at Cudi in a lengthy response defending herself.

 Ultimately, fans booed her from the stage as fans expressed their disappointment online after the fact and the controversy led Cudi to make an executive decision.

“M.I.A. is no longer on this tour. I told my management to send a notice to her team before we started tout that I didn’t want anything offensive at my shows, cz I already knew what time it as, and I was assured things were understood,” he said in a statement shared to Instagram. Cudi said that he received several messages from fans who 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.”

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.

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