M.I.A. performing live. Photo Credit: Moses
M.I.A. is suing Kid Cudi for inducing breach of contract and more after being booted from the Rebel Ragers Tour, claiming that she “was terminated to generate publicity” amid low ticket sales.
M.I.A. (real name Mathangi Arulpragasam) just recently submitted the straightforward suit to a California federal court, naming Kid Cudi (real name Scott Mescudi) as the lone defendant.
At present, Cleveland-born Cudi is about two-thirds of the way through the North American leg of his mentioned tour, which kicked off in Phoenix on April 28th. Out of the gate, M.I.A. was expected to perform (along with Big Boi and others) at nearly all the shows.
But as some know, the London native was kicked off the Rebel Ragers Tour early last month after making the ill-advised decision to broach politics in an on-stage speech. Admittedly, the strategy isn’t without precedent; one popular legacy artist effectively combined the concert and the political lecture in a newly wrapped tour.
However, if compelled to weigh in on controversial subjects, knowing the audience is advisable. Towards the top of May, we broke down M.I.A.’s remarks and the ensuing fallout; the short version is that attendees in Dallas appeared to boo the comments.
And because booing fans aren’t exactly good for the headliner or business in general, it didn’t come as a shock when she was dropped from the concert series.
The way the “unapologetically political” plaintiff tells the story, the non-party Live Nation, which is said to have agreed to pay her a staggering $2.81 million guarantee, possessed “sole and exclusive creative control over M.I.A.’s performances.”
“So, Live Nation agreed to pay M.I.A. over $2.8 million regardless of what she said on stage. That was the deal,” M.I.A.’s legal team wrote.
According to the lawsuit, this is an issue because the relevant comments “were consistent with [M.I.A.’s] public persona and prior performances” and because “Kid Cudi directed Live Nation to fire M.I.A.” – an alleged move that purportedly constituted the “bad faith destruction of her contractual rights, business opportunities, and reputation.”
(As noted, M.I.A. further maintains that she “was terminated to generate publicity for the Tour, which has struggled with ticket sales.”)
Regarding the alleged destruction, M.I.A. has allegedly “incurred substantial damages and reputational harm due to Kid Cudi’s directing Live Nation to fire her.”
Besides still being owed the “full” guarantee, per the complaint, the three-time Grammy nominee “has also lost merchandise sales and VIP package sales.”
“An offer for M.I.A. to perform at a private party for over $290,000 plus travel and accommodation was withdrawn,” the plaintiff vented of the alleged tour-dismissal consequences. “An offer for a merchandise pop up in Los Angeles was rescinded. Discussions with a sync company over a potential licensing deal were terminated. M.I.A. and her son [who the artist shares with Benjamin Bronfman, the son of former Warner Music head Edgar Bronfman Jr.] have received death threats.”
All told, M.I.A. is suing for inducing breach of contract (“Kid Cudi instructed Live Nation to breach the” agreement) and intentional interference with contractual relations. At the time of writing, Cudi, who yesterday touted a “SOLD OUT” Madison Square Garden concert, didn’t seem to have publicly addressed the legal action.
