The clash between MIA and Kid Cudi continues off stage. After being excluded from the Rebel Rangers Tour, where she was participating as an opening act, the singer sued the rapper demanding compensation exceeding $2.8 million. According to documents obtained by Rolling Stone Us, Mathangi Arulpragasam claims that Kid Cudi knew his political positions and public image well before the start of the tour. In the complaint filed in the District Court of California, the artist accuses his colleague of violating his contractual rights and compromising his professional opportunities.
“MIA was fired to generate publicity for the tour, which had difficulty with ticket sales,” the complaint alleges. “The contract allowed her to say whatever she wanted on stage. MIA now holds Kid Cudi responsible for the bad faith violation of her contractual rights, business opportunities and reputation.”
The lawsuit calls the exclusion from the tour an “intentional interference with contractual relations.” The document reads: “Kid Cudi's behavior caused Live Nation to violate the agreement. He directed Live Nation to exclude MIA from the tour. He caused Live Nation not to pay the plaintiffs the $2,805,000 guarantee. He caused Live Nation to violate the clause of the agreement that granted the company full creative control of MIA's performances.”
The singer also claims to have suffered additional economic damages due to the loss of merchandising sales and VIP packages planned for the remainder of the tour.
Through its representative, MIA harshly attacked the rapper's decision: “Kid Cudi's attempts to silence freedom of artistic expression and speech on his tour cannot go unnoticed. Censorship is something MIA has fought against throughout his career. For decades, MIA has used his music to speak out about human rights and other complex global issues as a refugee turned global star.” And again: “It is well known to both Kid Cudi and the world that M.I.A. has never shied away from communicating her opinions through music and dialogue with fans. The shock Kid Cudi claims to have felt at her comments, which she now calls 'offensive,' combined with her sudden and unjustified termination of her contract, are a desperate attempt to sell tickets to her tour, which was experiencing a drastic decline in sales. As a result, her false accusations fueled an attack indiscriminate, based on a deliberate misrepresentation of his words.”
For his part, in recent weeks Kid Cudi had publicly justified his decision to interrupt the collaboration: “MIA is no longer part of this tour. Before the start of the tour I had asked my management to send a communication to his team to clarify that I did not want anything offensive at my concerts, because I know how things go. I was assured that the message had been received. After the last couple of concerts I have been bombarded with messages from fans upset by his invectives. It is very disappointing and I don't want people on my tour who make offensive comments that upset the fan base. Thank you for your understanding.”
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
