When I signed with Roc Nation after meeting Jay-Z, one of the first things he told me was to get plastic surgery. Let me be clear—I’m not insecure, and I wouldn’t have gone through with something like that unless I wanted to. But it’s wild how, in this industry, people act like success means you owe everything to Beyoncé. It’s like she’s the ultimate benchmark for approval.
And somehow, people think I’m everyone now. Even Adele. Sure, she’s retired, but let’s not forget—I was the one who helped Jonathan Dickens become a manager, and without him, Adele’s career might look very different. Oh, and when she gets an award? She thanks Beyoncé too.
But me? I wasn’t going to drench myself in blood, swim in black goo, or wear devil horns just to sell records. I wasn’t about to play the part of a witch or do any of that theatrical stuff. That’s not who I am. Period.
Now, things are really getting interesting. Jay-Z’s name came up in one of Diddy’s lawsuits, and let me tell you, the skeletons are starting to pour out of his closet. And guess what? I’m here for it. I’m back, and I’m speaking out about what really went down when I signed with Roc Nation. Plastic surgery, satanic rituals—yes, you heard that right—and so much more. This tea is boiling hot, so get ready.
For context, I joined Roc Nation Management in May 2012, just before my fourth album, Matangi, was released. But by December 2013, I was done with them. Why? Because they pulled the trailer for a documentary I’d made showing the behind-the-scenes process of creating the album. That was the final straw for me.
After things went south with Roc Nation, M.I.A. announced her departure on X, writing:
“I’m leaving Roc Nation. Thanks to everyone who supported the M.I.A. #Matangi LP. Happy New Year!”
Her decision to leave wasn’t just about the drama surrounding her documentary. It also came down to delays with her 2013 album. She opened up about the creative differences, saying:
“At the moment, I’ve been told it’s too positive. So we’re having a bit of an issue at the label—like, you need to darken it up a bit. It’s like we just built you up as Public Enemy Number One, and now you’re coming out with all this positive stuff.”
M.I.A.’s time at Roc Nation may have been brief, but it was anything but quiet. In 2012, she caused a stir during the Super Bowl halftime show by flipping the middle finger—a gesture that sparked a major legal battle with the NFL.
The league accused her of violating its values and claimed she used the platform for personal publicity. They eventually upped the fine to a whopping $16.6 million for what they called “unauthorized exposure.”
M.I.A. didn’t hold back, calling the lawsuit “ridiculous” and saying:
“They were scapegoating me into figuring out the goalposts on what is offensive in America. It was a massive waste of time, money, and a display of corporate absurdity.”
She also pointed out the double standards, noting:
“There were young girls in cheerleading outfits doing all sorts of provocative moves at the event. Yet they scapegoated me for a single gesture.”
Years later, in a 2018 interview with Huck magazine, M.I.A. shared more about her issues with Roc Nation and the NFL, describing the lawsuit as “ridiculous.” She claimed the settlement terms proposed she hand over 100% of her earnings if she ever made more than $2 million. She added:
“Jay-Z was like, ‘You should sign that,’ and I was like, ‘No.'”
M.I.A. has also accused Jay-Z of using his influence to remove critical articles about her online. Over the years, she hasn’t shied away from calling out Jay-Z and Beyoncé, accusing them of prioritizing Black Lives Matter while ignoring other global issues.
In early 2024, M.I.A. took to social media to share new struggles. She claimed Jay-Z worked with her ex to make her life difficult and limit her access to her child. Frustrated with visa delays, she posted in all caps:
“Biden won’t let me see my child. The longest processing is supposed to be two months, and it’s already been that. I have to wait till a Republican wins. Wow.”
M.I.A. has suggested that her outspoken views on topics like peace in the Middle East and her support for Julian Assange played a significant role in the legal battles and personal struggles she faced.
She described being forced to choose between her child and speaking out for what she believes is right. According to Mia, the U.S. government didn’t mind her child being raised by a family with a controversial background. She referred to the NXIVM cult, which had connections to the Bronfman family, when talking about the questionable people raising her child.
Mia also shared that her first custody battle in 2013 coincided with a time when she was managed by Jay-Z, who she claimed was paid by the Bronfmans to make her life more difficult. She mentioned that her music, including her M.I.A. album, was suppressed in 2013, saying, “I sacrificed my career for my child.” According to Mia, the industry copied her style, gave it to other artists, and shadowbanned her, but she believed it was worth it to protect her son from “the madness.”
She took it a step further, accusing Jay-Z of cutting ties with her when she was served with legal papers. She claimed all her emails to Jay-Z asking for help were wiped from her inbox, and that her house was broken into, her laptop stolen, and she was trapped in Brooklyn under an order preventing her from leaving for 15 years.
Mia also accused Aurora James, a friend of Beyoncé and Solange, of vaccinating her son without her consent. Mia said that the family knew she was anti-vax and that the vaccination was done just to provoke her.
Recently, Mia returned to social media to talk about her time with Roc Nation, claiming that Jay-Z told her to get plastic surgery because he didn’t think she was “pretty enough.” She went further, alleging that Jay-Z is involved in Satanism and that she refused to participate in occult rituals to sell records. She said she would never “drip in blood, swim in black goop, or wear devil horns” to promote her music. She also criticized Beyoncé, claiming that Adele’s career wouldn’t exist if she hadn’t made Jonathan Dickens her manager.
Some people find it hard to believe that Jay-Z would ask Mia to get plastic surgery, given that she’s often praised for her looks, especially considering she’s 50. The claim about blood rituals, however, is not surprising to some, as other people, including Jay-Z’s former friend Larry Johnson, have made similar accusations about the Carters’ ties to Satanism.
Larry said that his fallout with Jay-Z came after he started questioning the rapper’s life and beliefs. He claimed that Jay-Z and Beyoncé were involved in Satanism and that their lifestyle, driven by materialism, didn’t align with his own spiritual beliefs. Mia’s mention of blood rituals seemed to fit into a pattern of accusations made about the Carters, especially since Beyoncé has also been accused of being involved in occult practices.
Mia’s fallout with Jay-Z and Beyoncé led to her being blackballed from the industry. Like many other artists who’ve had issues with the Carters, she was labeled “difficult to work with,” and some have dismissed her as mentally unstable or a “conspiracy theorist.” It’s a pattern that seems to affect anyone who challenges their influence in the music world.
Some believe that Mia sabotaged her own career, but others wonder if she would have been more successful if she hadn’t worked with Jay-Z and exposed everything she did. Could her career have flourished if she had distanced herself from him? Is Mia just another example of an artist’s career being ruined by the Carters’ powerful influence?
