M.I.A. will no longer be headlining the upcoming Afropunk Festival in London.
Festival organizers dropped
the 40-year-old hip hop artist from their lineup following the
controversial comments she made in April in regards to the Black Lives Matter
movement. The music festival announced the news in an official
statement posted to their website and social media accounts on Friday.
the 40-year-old hip hop artist from their lineup following the
controversial comments she made in April in regards to the Black Lives Matter
movement. The music festival announced the news in an official
statement posted to their website and social media accounts on Friday.
“We are excited and honored
to do our first Afropunk Festival in London and want to do it right,”
the message read. “After discussing the situation with the artist and
the community, a decision was agreed upon by all involved that M.I.A
will no longer headline Afropunk London.”
“Afropunk has always stood
side by side with the thousands of people globally who are involved with
our events each year, from the fans attending an Afropunk showcase for
the first time, to the headline artists playing for capacity crowds on
our main festival stages,” the statement explained.
“A key part of the Afropunk
ethos has always been educating one another, breaking down boundaries
and sparking conversation about race, gender, religion, sex, culture and
everything that makes life worth living,” the post continued. “This
exchange has meant receiving wisdom, as well as imparting it in the most
respectful way possible, with the participation of our entire community
of fans, creators and artists. This community is something we are
incredibly proud of, and this community will always be a priority for
us.”
While speaking with London’s Evening Standard
three months ago, M.I.A. (real name: Mathangi ‘Maya’ Arulpragasam)
shared her opinions on the Black Lives Matter movement. Her comments
received immediate backlash, causing the music festival to pull the plug
on her scheduled Sept. 24 performance.
three months ago, M.I.A. (real name: Mathangi ‘Maya’ Arulpragasam)
shared her opinions on the Black Lives Matter movement. Her comments
received immediate backlash, causing the music festival to pull the plug
on her scheduled Sept. 24 performance.
“It’s interesting that in
America the problem you’re allowed to talk about is Black Lives Matter,”
she exclaimed at the time. “It’s not a new thing to me — it’s what
Lauryn Hill was saying in the ’90s, or Public Enemy in the ’80s.”
“Is Beyoncé or Kendrick
Lamar going to say Muslim Lives Matter? Or Syrian Lives Matter? Or this
kid in Pakistan matters? That’s a more interesting question,” she added.
“And you cannot ask it on a song that’s on Apple, you cannot ask it on
an American TV program, you cannot create that tag on Twitter, Michelle
Obama is not going to hump you back”.
On Thursday, the English
“Paper Planes” singer seemingly addressed the cancellation. by tweeting.
“Paper Planes” singer seemingly addressed the cancellation. by tweeting.
“If you ask how I’m doing,”
she tweeted, “I’m fine.”