M.I.A. says she's dropped out of Afropunk after Black Lives Matter controversy. https://t.co/1RTbxhOvcypic.twitter.com/1K9v8TMWTV
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) June 21, 2016
- for some reason or another, afropunk (a festival
supposedlydedicated to celebrating the talents of alternative black artists) decided to make m.i.a. their headlining act for their london festival this september - backlash was swift and quick against m.i.a. with the conversation centering around m.i.a.'s blatant anti-black comments (including, but not limited to, her thoughts on how the blacklivesmatter movement is boring: "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." as well as on her controversy with the 2012 superbowl halftime show where she flipped the middle finger on live television:"Like, is my finger offensive? Or is an underage black girl with her legs wide open more offensive to the family audience?")
in response to this, m.i.a. decided to take to twitter to voice her own thoughts on the matter:
Accusing me of racism is no better then being accused of terrorism - yet the number of people killed by Americans stamped wars continue ..
— M.I.A (@MIAuniverse) June 19, 2016
If pulling the show saves the cause and lives then that's what I'll do.
— M.I.A (@MIAuniverse) June 19, 2016
Sorry I'm not doin Afropunk. I've been told to stay in my lane. Ha there is no lane for 65mil refugees who's lanes are blown up! #nolanes
— M.I.A (@MIAuniverse) June 20, 2016
she also retweeted this bullshit:
@MIAuniverse Well said MIA...had enough of fundamentalist separatists on any side. There is no black or white culture
— Byron Biroli (@ByronBiroli) June 19, 2016
according to pitchfork, m.i.a. is still set to headline the show and afropunk hasn't released any formal comments either about whether she's still performing.
src 1 | src 2
she actually posted a few other bullshit tweets yesterday that i guess she got shook over and deleted but i hope they galang her ass off the stage if she does show up