Frequently Collaborated With, Other Connection(less info)
M.I.A. and Kanye are both featured in T.I.'s Swagger Like Us Remix (hot track, BTW). Also, in May 2008, press including The Guardian reported that the two were considering marriage so that M.I.A. could stay in the states after her visa expires. The seriousness of this proposal is unclear.
M.I.A. is something of a Heyoka, whether she knows it or not. This is evident in her wearing of bright colors and bold patterns, as well as her rather eccentric demeanor.
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A., is a British musician, graphic designer, and filmmaker. Of Sri Lankan heritage, her music is cross-genre and has an international tinge.
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A., is a British musician, graphic designer, and filmmaker. Of Sri Lankan heritage, her music is cross-genre and has an international tinge.
M.I.A.'s Kala album was featured in Rolling Stone as the best album of 2007.
With globalization at full steam, it's almost no surprise that a Sri Lakan-Brit-American, who makes eclectic music drawing from very different traditions, is all the rage these days.
Listening to Pap...
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With globalization at full steam, it's almost no surprise that a Sri Lakan-Brit-American, who makes eclectic music drawing from very different traditions, is all the rage these days.
Listening to Paper Planes, Bird Flu, Bolly Town, Sunshowers, I can't help but think that M.I.A. represents at least part of the the fresh direction that hip hop needs to stay "hip". Her irreverence, crazy samples, and bass beats make an impression and must be fun to rock to in a club (not that I've been to a club in recent memory).
That said, her sounds still feel raw to me in the same way that early rap / hip hop sounded raw (think N.W.A.) It's hard to tell though whether listeners will acclimate to M.I.A.'s new sounds as is or whether her musicality will mature and evolve in the coming years.
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M.I.A.'s great strength is not in her lyrics, but in her music, which, despite the simplicity, is loaded with vocal hooks and melodies that carry each song, not to mention a musical backdrop that dips...
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M.I.A.'s great strength is not in her lyrics, but in her music, which, despite the simplicity, is loaded with vocal hooks and melodies that carry each song, not to mention a musical backdrop that dips into various musical styles. Listeners are left remembering fleeting glimpses of hip hop (especially crunk), ragga, bhangra, reggaeton, '80s electro, and even punk rock, everything assembled extremely well by producers Diplo, Richard X, Ross Orton (from Fat Truckers), and Pulp's Steve Mackey.
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