Rapper M.I.A. is fighting back after the Field Day festival in London apparently withdrew its invitation for her to perform this year, with organizers citing her “online activity” and “quite contentious” comments as the reasons for the cancellation.
The British rapper tweeted screenshots of what appeared to be an e-mail from Field Day organizers notifying her management team of their intent to cancel her appearance.
“When we made the offer on 27 October, we did so in good faith and with the belief that this would be a great collaboration for all parties,” the e-mail said. “Since then, there have been some online comments by the artist which could be viewed as quite contentious.”
“After discussing it with AEG, the consensus is that in light of the online activity, we cannot continue with the offer I’m afraid,” the e-mail continued. “We have not taken the decision lightly, but we must consider the wider risks to the festival and its stakeholders.”
M.I.A. shot back, tweeting “how dare you” and “festival stakeholders want musicians to be boring puppets.” She also claimed that her recent interview with Candace Owens was an instigating factor in her firing, saying the invitation was rescinded one week after her conversation with the conservative pundit went live.
@fielddaylondon How dare you?
I’m literally an Artist who is been given a 🏅 medal for speaking up. Now you are going to pull my show because of your stakeholders? Your stakeholders are not happy I point out hypocrisy in a tweet? But are happy if I support war murder sex drugs? pic.twitter.com/BN9myCDzCI— M.I.A. (@MIAuniverse) January 11, 2023
“In light of her online activity”like what accidentally launching a missile on a innocent village, or me scamming a billions of dollars from people or running a sex scandal?
No it was your lil tweet. How Naughty.
Festival stakeholders want musicians to be boring Puppets. pic.twitter.com/KWQJre7DEG
— M.I.A. (@MIAuniverse) January 11, 2023
So I’m finding out that this is more to do with Individual workers, at field-day office and not AEG head office , and I think it’s more to do with me speaking on @RealCandaceO show: The offer was made 2 weeks after Alex jones tweet but pulled a week after @RealCandaceO. https://t.co/BYSsEcjKgq
— M.I.A. (@MIAuniverse) January 11, 2023
M.I.A. has become increasingly outspoken about her views on vaccines, her advocacy for WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange, and her Christian faith in recent months.
The rapper — who is of Sri Lankan Tamil ethnicity — fired off a tweet in October that angered many on the left and in the mainstream news media. “If Alex Jones pays for lying shouldn’t every celebrity pushing vaccines pay too,” she wrote
If Alex jones pays for lying shouldn’t every celebrity pushing vaccines pay too ?
— M.I.A. (@MIAuniverse) October 12, 2022
But M.I.A. recently told The Guardian that she isn’t an “anti-vaxxer.”
“The language they use to attack anybody is to say: ‘Oh, she’s an anti-vaxxer’ or blah blah blah. And it’s like, no, not really,” she told the newspaper. “I know three people who have died from taking the vaccine and I know three people who have died from Covid. This is in my life, in my experience. If anyone is going to deny that experience and gaslight me, saying: ‘No, that’s not your experience,’ then what is the point of anything?”
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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