Tag: m.i.a. (last 300)

Stuff bogans like

(Thingsboganslike) The bogan [Aussie chav] is oblivious that it is being entertained by M.I.A., a curry refugee. It hates curries for stupid high-pitched music that isn’t its own stupid high-pitched music. As it exits the club, it spies an Indian student... (ht: Anu)
Previously: australia, bogans, m.i.a.

He must mean the Tamils of Cambodia

(Amazon Audio) Aziz calls Tamil a ‘SE Asian language,’ tries to pick up M.I.A. Click preview button.
Previously: aziz ansari, tamil, m.i.a.

I’m down like the economy

(Rollingstone) M.I.A. track features Filipino Verizon workers singing during her Net support call. It’s called ‘I’m Down Like Your Internet Connection.’ [via]
Previously: m.i.a.

Launching tracks on Twitter

(Twitvid) ‘Ol Dat I See,’ new M.I.A. single with green lasers and traditional drum.
Previously: m.i.a.

Guess she was serious about the politics

(Twitter NSFW) M.I.A. rant about NYT rec’ing Sri Lanka tourism (gruesome baby corpse).
Previously: m.i.a., sri lanka

‘Hussel’ and flow

(Indiecision) Vampire Weekend sampled MIA: ‘She was rad. When I heard her music I felt connected to it on so many levels being the son of Iranian immigrants.’ (via @dpanjana)
Previously: vampire weekend, m.i.a.

Wyclef copying Maya?

(Vid) ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ by Wyclef Jean and Cyndi Lauper, with vague ‘Paper Planes’ vibe. (ht: Joolz)

Remedial ethnocentrism

(Reddit) On M.I.A.’s shark shirt: She has the style of a precocious 5 year old with a billion-dollar-closet. But desis can look fabulous in things that would get a white girl laughed off the street. The outfit: [via]
Previously: m.i.a.

Jazz ‘Galang’ a private conversation

(Soundtime) Vijay Iyer’s brash and propulsive cover of ‘Galang’ feels like a fascinating but inscrutable private act on ‘Historicity,’ unlike his other, extroverted albums.

Tamil come-on

(Twitter) P Lakshmi: ‘Went to see @azizansari’s stand up last night. He was the best of the comedians.’ Chat her up in Tamil ese, it worked so well on M.I.A.

Missing in improv

(Vid) Vijay Iyer trio jam on jazz version of ‘Galang.’
Previously: vijay iyer, jazz, m.i.a., galang

Bang bang, and take your money

(Vid) Michael Moore’s bubble / bailout documentary ‘Capitalism: A Love Story’ uses M.I.A.’s ‘Paper Planes’ on the soundtrack, at 1:08. (ht: khoof)

Maya deco’d

(Twitpic Pic) M.I.A.’s pixelated arcade-game nails.
Previously: m.i.a.

Al Jolson does M.I.A

(Vid) Rare video of Al Jolson singing MIA’s Paper Planes from 1927. What a blast. By the by I reckon this track is the song of the noughties.

M.I.A.’s morality

(Trueslant) Conservative: MIA justifies Third World robbery and murder as the only choice of the dispossessed to achieve equality.
Previously: m.i.a.

Bang, it’s uploaded

(Vid) Raw dancing from ‘Bang’ (Rye Rye feat. M.I.A.) YouTube was blanking Maya’s audio (anti-self-piracy?) so she went with Vimeo.
Previously: m.i.a., rye rye

DRM bites artist

(Twitter) M.I.A. complains YouTube blanked the audio to her own track she just uploaded, part of an anti-piracy deal with studios.
Previously: m.i.a., youtube, drm

Girl, interrupted

(Twitter) M.I.A.: ‘MICHAEL JACKSON the first 2 english words i eva spoke’
Previously: m.i.a., michael jackson

Maya Twitterspasm

(Twitter) M.I.A. makes good point on Sri Lanka, GETS CAPS LOCK STUCK.
Previously: m.i.a., sri lanka, ltte, twitter

Maherpragasam

(Twitter) M.I.A. on Bill Maher tonight with banker Muhammad Yunus. Also, Anoop Desai on Larry King tonight/tomorrow.
Previously: m.i.a., muhammad yunus

Twittering over cola

(Twitter) M.I.A.: Coca Cola asked me to be the face of Coke.
Previously: m.i.a.

Maya trusts only TamilNet

(Twitter) M.I.A.: ‘I wonder if BBC are contractually ordered to keep repeating the same casualty figure from 1987 to make the war seem bullshit.’
Previously: m.i.a., sri lanka, tamils, ltte

From the dep’t of dubious testimonials

(Digitalspy) Dubious endorsement: Jr. Hasselhoff loves M.I.A.’s music. (ht: Joolz)

London calling NYC

(Twitter) Photo) M.I.A. and backup dancer pose in front of a poster for the Clash in Shea Stadium, ’82.
Previously: the clash, m.i.a.

M.I.A. highlights Tamil camps in Sri Lanka

(MySpace) M.I.A.: There was mad Secret Service at the Time most influentials party. I didn’t get to throw a paper plane at Michelle Obama saying, ‘Stop the bombing of Tamils in Sri Lanka.’

Arular speaks

(Dailymirror) M.I.A.’s dad discusses the origins of the LTTE and related movements.
Previously: ltte, m.i.a.

M.I.A. and pater

(Asiantribune Photo) Maya and Arular Arulpragasam.
Previously: m.i.a.

Angolan dance music craze

(BoGlobe) MIA appears on ‘Sound of Kuduro’ by Buraka Som Sistema. Kuduro is a fusion of Angolan rhythms and Euro electronica.

M.I.A. backs civilian aid to Tamils

(Guardian) M.I.A. backs plans to send civilian aid to Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan military said it will fire on any aid ship, claiming it will aid the LTTE. (ht: S)
Previously: m.i.a., ltte, sri lanka

M.I.A. names her baby Ickett?

(Yahoo) And you thought “Apple" was a bizarre baby name. According to Latina, rapper M.I.A. has named her newborn baby boy “Ickett."
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. recommends...

(Tr) M.I.A.’s playlist. Link opens in iTunes. (ht: Kerim)
Previously: m.i.a.

Paper sample

(Vid) M.I.A. sampled the Clash’s ‘Straight to Hell’ for the main riff of ‘Paper Planes.’ (ht: Ennis)

Ma ho

(Eonline) The big question after giving birth is whether M.I.A. will sing ‘O Saya’ at the Oscars. ‘We’re willing to have her enter on a large bed. We’ll make it as easy for her as we can.’
Previously: m.i.a., oscars

It’s a boy for M.I.A.

(Celebrity Babies) Maya gave birth to a baby boy on Wednesday.
Previously: m.i.a.

Preggers like us

(Tumblr Video) M.I.A., Kanye, Li’l Wayne, TI sing ‘Swagga Like Us’ at the Grammys. That kid’s going to be hearing-damaged.
Previously: m.i.a., grammys

Grammys fund terrorism

(NYT) ‘Frankly, M.I.A.’s very lucky to get away with supporting, even indirectly, perhaps the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world,’ said Suresh Jayawickrama, a Sinhalese songwriter in Colombo. (ht: Shashwati)
Previously: m.i.a., sri lanka, ltte

G-fug

(Celebuzz) If Violet Beauregard rolled herself out of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory and started a fashion line, and Bjork became her main investor, M.I.A.’s muumuu would be their first collaboration. (ht: brimful)
Previously: m.i.a., grammys

Meet in Miami so we can start a family

(MTV Video) A very pregnant Mathangi wearing what appears to be a large blue bedspread is interviewed at the Grammys.
Previously: m.i.a., grammys

Pregnant. Pause.

(LAT) M.I.A. performed at the Grammys in a black-and-white mesh outfit with carefully placed polka dots that was made all the more jolting by her huge pregnant belly. ‘Oh, god, she’s going to break any minute now.’ Didn’t win.
Previously: m.i.a., grammys

Pieces of Rahman

(NYT) 2 songs from ‘Slumdog’ could give the Oscars a Bollywood flavor. Part of each song will be played in a single production number... Hugh Jackman will sing in a Baz Luhrmann number.

How to beat ‘Slumdog’ for an Oscar

(NY Mag humor) ‘Benjamin Button’ should talk about M.I.A.’s Tamil Tiger connection. Or does that crap only work in presidential campaigns?

NASA clones M.I.A., new singer named Santogold

(Imflashy) N.A.S.A. feat. M.I.A., Santogold — ‘Whatchadoin’ (ht: SS).
Previously: m.i.a., santogold

Mermaid parade

(Vid) M.I.A. wearing fish scales (?) around her eyes. ‘I do every show like it’s my last show because my visa runs out in June.’
Previously: m.i.a.

Amoeba rump shaker

(Vid) M.I.A. doing a rump shaker to a children’s song, backstage at an indie record store in Berkeley.
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. says father not a Tiger

(WSJ) M.I.A.: My father was an intellectual who tried to mediate between the [Sri Lankan] government, the Indian government and the Tamil Tigers. He moved to Cambridge to research and write books about sustainable development.
Previously: m.i.a., ltte

MIA on the war in SL

(CNN) I wonder if she really wrote this? It’s a break from her usual myspace style of writing.
Previously: m.i.a., sri lanka, war

Giving birth to Grammys

(MTV) M.I.A. on Oscar nom: ‘Maybe I can afford to book Dave Chappelle at the baby shower now.’ She’s due on the same night as the Grammys (Feb. 8), where she’s up against Leona Lewis, Adele, Coldplay for record of the year.

‘Rain Dance’

(Vid) M.I.A. — ‘Rain Dance,’ African-influenced.
Previously: m.i.a.

Tic tic tic tic toc

(Zmemusic) New Maya: Rye Rye feat. M.I.A. — ‘Tic Toc’ (ht: Shree).
Previously: m.i.a.

Audible planes

(Interscope) 5 songs by M.I.A. and/or A.R. Rahman on the ‘Slumdog’ soundtrack. Listen.

M.I.A. too electropunk for Rahman

(WSJ) Rahman worked with M.I.A. for ‘Slumdog.’ ‘She speaks my language, but her sensibility is completely different.’ He’s working on scores for ‘Paani’ by Shekhar Kapoor and ’19 Steps,’ an English martial arts flick by Disney.

Merchandising in Acton

(Miauk) M.I.A.’s clothing line: $180 for an ‘Islamic hoodie.’
Previously: m.i.a., fashion

Maya ‘Millionaire’

(Imeem) M.I.A.’s ‘Paper Planes (DFA Remix’ set to clips from ‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ in which it was used. (ht: brimful)

M.I.A. som sistema

(Vid) Vid by Portuguese band Buraka Som Sistema with M.I.A. refrain at 1:30 (ht: Shree).
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A.’s rebel yell

(Spin Nov.) M.I.A. would rather write songs about the Indian kids making aftermarket seat covers than the hoochie riding shotgun. But she’s marrying into the Seagram’s fortune.
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A., Rahman collab on ‘Slumdog’

(NY Mag) A.R. Rahman: M.I.A. had followed my work for ages. I said, cut this ‘my idol’ crap. You have to teach me... Directors usually want loud effects, soft music. Danny wanted it loud: ‘Never put a cello in my film.’

Problem With NYC Culture Is She’s Not Getting Shot At

(Gawker) Despite the fact she lives in Bed-Stuy with her fiance Ben Brewer, [M.I.A.] calls New York a wasteland for young artists, and looks back nostalgically on her time in her native war torn Sri Lanka.
Previously: m.i.a.

Pharrell and the baby bump

(Nme) Franz Ferdinand, M.I.A. and Hot Chip performed at a Diesel party Sat night. A heavily pregnant Maya came out of ‘retirement’ for a duet with N.E.R.D on ‘Paper Planes’.
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. is Pregnant

(PMH) M.I.A, who recently got engaged with Benjamin Brewer (son of music mogul Edgar Bronfman, Jr.), came out of retirement for the Diesel xXx party yesterday with a baby bump, yep shes knocked up. [via]
Previously: m.i.a.

Santogold’s not an M.I.A. clone — really

(Pitch) Santogold has an undeniable rock / indie-rock / guitar-pop foundation that M.I.A. wouldn’t touch. Maybe it’s the reflective ’80s clothing that confuses us.
Previously: m.i.a., santogold

M.I.A.’s unexpected crossover hit

(Rollingstone) After ‘Pineapple Express,’ ‘Paper Planes’ became a mainstream hit. ‘Kala’ is being re-released Nov. 4th. On engagement to Benjamin Brewer: ‘I didn’t date anyone for ages, and he was the only guy who asked me out.;
Previously: m.i.a., paper planes

M.I.A v Jay Z on ‘Boys’

(Vid) M.I.A and Jay-Z tear it up.
Previously: m.i.a., jay-z

M.I.A.’s Best Story Ever

(Vid) M.I.A tells about her scariest moment. If I say anymore, it might ruin the little story. It’s a fun watch.
Previously: m.i.a.

Esquire’s 75 most influential people

(SAJA) Bobby Jindal, M.I.A., Parag Khanna among the desis among the 75 most influential people of the 21st Century. Who would you add to the list? The issue is FULL of desi stuff.
Previously: m.i.a., lists

M.I.A.: really ‘board’

(MySpace) M.I.A. blog: After my school was set on fire by the army, i had nothing to do and was really f- board. Burning down a school with 800 kids is not cool. I am not a LTTE supporter. I was just an 8 year old that didn’t get killed on that day. [via]
Previously: m.i.a.

Too bad M.I.A.’s song isn’t in the movie

(Businesssheet) M.I.A.’s ‘Paper Planes’ is a hit on itunes, but the song isn’t actually in ‘Pineapple Express’ or on the soundtrack, it’s only on the trailers.
Previously: m.i.a., paper planes

MIA’s terrorism disclaimer not explicit

(Nme) M.I.A. on DeLon’s diss vid: ‘I don’t support terrorism and never have. As a Sri Lankan that fled war and bombings, my music is the voice of the civilian refugee.’ [Should be explicit: ‘I don’t support killing civilians or noncombatants.’] The vid: [via]
Previously: m.i.a., delon

M.I.A. on Letterman

(Vid) M.I.A. on Letterman, 9/21/07, where he intro’s ‘Kala’ and replaces her gunshots with popping sounds.
Previously: m.i.a.

Maya messing with her hair

(Vid) M.I.A. and Diplo messing around with a webcam to ‘Paper Planes’ is currently on the YouTube front page, presumably in honor of ‘Pineapple Express.’

‘Pineapple’ surge

(LAT) ‘Paper Planes’ by M.I.A. surged to No. 1 on the iTunes electronic chart and No. 18 on its singles chart after being featured in a trailer for ‘Pineapple Express.’ Huey Lewis did the title track.

Paper Pineapple

(Vid) M.I.A.’s happy-go-lucky violence in ‘Paper Planes’ plays even more prominently over the latest ‘Pineapple Express’ promos, including this one-minute trailer.

Relic of the ’80s

(Blackbookmag) M.I.A. launched her own streetwear collection in a homebrew vid called ‘Real Pirates of the Caribbean,’ featuring friends in her signature day-glo colors and prints.
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. — Cranberries mashup

(MySpace) Girl Talk briefly mashes up M.I.A.’s ‘Boyz’ with the Cranberries. Go to ‘Let Me See You,’ at 3:12.
Previously: m.i.a., the cranberries

M.I.A. claims Bonnaroo her last gig ever

(NYT) M.I.A. canceled her summer tour, but she tore into her seismic beats and revolution-touting hooks at Bonnaroo in what she declared was her ‘last gig ever.’ (Pop retirements are rarely permanent.)
Previously: m.i.a., bonnaroo

Boston alt.weekly readers vote MIA top act

(Phoenix) Best rap/hip-hop act: A decade ago, M.I.A. wanted to make a film about what it was like to be young in Sri Lanka, tangled in a world of political conflicts. That film never happened. But Kala and Arular did. And you can dance to them.
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. Launches Clothing Line?

(Nme) The singer’s creations will include bomber jackets, leggings and T-shirts and is said feature bold bright hues and graphic prints, reports Trash Bag Aesthetics.
Previously: m.i.a.

People vs. Money

(Gorillavsbear) Rock remix of M.I.A.’s ‘Paper Planes’ by Holy Fuck. With eye-searing animated M.I.A. tour poster.
Previously: m.i.a.

Together forever

(Stereogum) M.I.A. joined ex Diplo to sing ‘Paper Planes’ at Coachella last week. Photos by Stereogum editor Amrit Singh.
Previously: m.i.a., diplo, coachella

Vampire Weekend hearts M.I.A.

(Pitchforkmedia) Iranian-American rocker Rostam Batmanglij of indie darlings Vampire Weekend, who played SNL tonight, does a dead-on M.I.A. impersonation. -’Hussel’ by M.I.A., the one with Afrikan Boy. I love the part where she goes, ‘boom-cha-cha chicka chin-cha.’

Vous le vous copierez M.I.A?

(Vid) French music vid by Yelle totally rips M.I.A. NSFW if you speak French. (thanks, Siddharth)
Previously: m.i.a., yelle

Mr. Punctuality

(Fashionweekdaily) While Jacobs’ current muse, Victoria Beckham, was noticeably absent, the designers other new obsession, and Marc by Marc Jacobs model, M.I.A, was enlisted to spin tunes. Along with DJ Mano, she mixed her typical hip-hop and dance combo.
Previously: padma lakshmi, m.i.a.

Memorable Maya turns of phrase

(Rollingstone ‘05) M.I.A. does jump-rope rhymes in a war zone. Her beatbox sounds like Bow Wow Wow shooting bottle rockets into a vintage Ms. Pac-Man machine to scare the quarters out.
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. on her breakup

(List) ‘I was totally in love with Wes. He couldn’t be with someone who makes music.’ John Singleton wanted to film with Maya, but she filmed Afrikan Boy with Spike Jonze and guested on ‘Bad Man’ by Missy Elliot. Jude Law championed her art.
Previously: m.i.a.

‘Queens Boulevard’ badly written

(Amardeep) ‘Queens Boulevard’ has a Punjabi wedding song, an Asian karaoke ‘Dancing Queen,’� M.I.A.’s ’10 Dollar,’� French hip hop, a Gaelic ballad. A nightclub dance sequence is set to M.I.A.’s song [like the movie ‘War’].
Previously: m.i.a.

Biometric visas deter foreign artists

(WaPo) M.I.A. got a visa to this show, but others didn’t. The Klaxons, who rose to fame through Internet buzz, bailed on New York’s CMJ Music Marathon last year after visa officials wanted conventional proof of the band’s importance. [via]
Previously: m.i.a.

‘An angry human disco ball’

(SM) Garbed in a futuristic orange and silver flapper top, silver leggings, M.I.A. was like an angry human disco ball. The next 80 minutes flew by in a blur of pretty white girls moaning ‘aaja.’� [She’s much better in indoor venues.]
Previously: m.i.a.

He came in through the bathroom window

(Filter Store) M.I.A.’s father visited in secret, slipping through the window at night and being introduced to the children as an uncle so that they didn’t give him away to the army... She has Mowgli dance moves [wtf?]
Previously: m.i.a.

Maya references child soldiers

(Metroactive) M.I.A. is a new Fela Kuti... “Sampling" does not describe her audacious lifting — she’s put her words over old songs. Considering the Tigers’ child soldiers, watching her “Boyz" video (young black men with “How many start a war?") is a moral dilemma.
Previously: m.i.a.

Review: M.I.A.’s New York concert

(NYT) M.I.A.: ‘I need some girls on stage.’ Security began helping people over the barricades. She darted about in silver high-top sneakers, jabbing at a touch-screen computer and body-surfing the crowd.
Previously: m.i.a.

Blondie hearts M.I.A.

(NYT) Legions of downtown girls imitate Debbie Harry’s Blondie-era style, from the shaggy dyed hair and red lips to the vampy shredded dresses. She counts M.I.A. among her favorites.
Previously: m.i.a.

The Ceylonite, she frightens

(Offbeat) Every time you play M.I.A.’s dancehall, bhangra, and afrorap, a national security Republican gets four votes. She’s the most endearingly rude form of militarism-as-pacifism since Abbie Hoffman loaded rifles with daisies.
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. playing NYC again

(Townonline) M.I.A. hits NYC Oct. 18 and 19 at Terminal 5, a short cab ride from Times Square.
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. craves unicorns

(Exclaim) I’m made to be this hard girl. I’d like to bounce around in flowery dresses and think about unicorns, but I’m a f- threat to homeland security, and 30 temple drummers have never had a woman talk to them.
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. starts a label

(Montrealmirror) M.I.A. is releasing MC Afrikan Boy’s single ‘Lidl,’� about shoplifting at the immigrants’ supermarket, on her small new record label, Zig-Zag.
Previously: m.i.a.

It’s the coming of M.I.A.

(Nowtoronto) What emerged is a record that could be described as world music but sounds nothing like what happens when First World artists hire on “ethnic" musicians to add some colour to their pop songs. [with interview + music clips]
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. in T.O. Sep 8-9

(Virginfestival) lyrics that mix Tamil, cockney and American slang to her tracksuits and hoodies specially sewn from the brightest, boldest African print fabrics, or Mowgli dance moves for ragga beats — M.I.A. creates culture clashes that work
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. NYC show Oct. 19

(NY Mag) M.I.A. plays October 19th at Terminal 5 ‘” a yet-to-open megavenue begging for a christening by one of Maya Arulpragasam’s we-are-the-motherf---ing-world dance parties.
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. not the only one with visa issues

(MTV) Banned from America, singer Lily Allen calls Dubya a ‘f- c-.’ [via]
Previously: m.i.a.

‘Come Around’ lyrics

(Lyricspy) M.I.A.: Indian tribesmen gamble spades / Indian chicks, they get men laid... / Mina, Rina, Tina, Sabrina / Being a super Indian babe / Timbaland: Baby girl, you and me / need to go to your teepee...
Previously: m.i.a.

Christgau on Maya

(Rollingstone Rolling Stone) M.I.A. refused to become Nelly Furtado when she had the chance. Kala is about the brown-skinned Other now obsessing Euro-America. “Bamboo Banga" samples Ilayaraja.
Previously: m.i.a.

The album needs subtitles

(WaPo) M.I.A. references Somalia, Angola, Ghana, India and Sri Lanka in “Bamboo Banga." The tribal drums of “Hussel" make it possible to completely miss M.I.A.’s riff on capitalism. Her ragged diction, a slang and flat-lined flow don’t help.
Previously: m.i.a.

Arulpragasam scampers up scaffold

(Video) M.I.A. climbs scaffolding and sings ‘Paper Planes’ at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Aug. 3.
Previously: m.i.a.

Maya a party music tourist

(Telegraph) M.I.A.’s charity-shop look owes as much to the secondhand markets of Delhi and Lagos as to London’s trendy Shoreditch. Her musical pastiche sometimes seems touristic. The melting-pot mentality can produce a weirdly flavourless mush.
Previously: m.i.a.

‘Kala’ an album of its times

(Guardian) M.I.A. makes music like Angelina Jolie starts a family: by ordering in from around the world. Her voice is a sulky monotone, and only 2 songs have a tune. But thrillingly, ‘Kala’ sounds like it could only have been made in 2007.
Previously: m.i.a.

A critic not in love with Maya

(Suntimes) M.I.A. panders to hipsters. She quotes the Modern Lovers’ “Roadrunner" and steals the hook from “Blue Monday" purely to hook critics. Her live shows are a disappointment.
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A.’s Third World beats

(LAT) Her sneer is Sid Vicious. She evokes the “lost boys" of Sierra Leone and street kids of “City of God" and “Salaam Bombay!" She had to bring her brother along because “when you’re a chick making [things] happen in India, you don’t have a mouth."
Previously: m.i.a.

Maya the Fly Girl

(NYT) M.I.A. took the stage in lace-up gold tights and white high-top sneakers, looking like a Fly Girl... -By the time I got to America, Paris Hilton had already been to every producer. They wanted both of us to sing about sex. [via]
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. teaches kids to dance

(Video) M.I.A. teaches you the sunshower (nice branding) and the crush-the-cockroach. [via]
Previously: m.i.a.

Bamboo Banger

(Stranger) Trendy M.I.A. is bad for anyone slighted by slap bracelets. Italo-disco bounces on “Jimmy." Rave bass smears out the melody from “Blue Monday" and Pixies lyrics. Timbaland comes up with the stupid “baby girl, go to your tepee."
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. bought drummers arrack

(NY Mag New York mag) I live in Bed-Stuy on top of a club and across from the mosque. In India, I used the temple drums they play at funerals. They get drunk, and when they play, they do cartwheels. They drink Arac [sic], it’s the strongest drink in India.
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. vs. Pitchfork

(Media) Can a Sri Lankan woman break into the charts in a male-centric hip-hop world with no place for politics? She’s already confronted elitist music blog Pitchfork on misogynist and inaccurate reporting.
Previously: m.i.a.

LAT psychoanalyzes offhand M.I.A. comment

(LAT) M.I.A. shouted “This is my song!" as she began “Jimmy." She can’t pretend she never knew that source — she grew up loving Bollywood music. But she meant past versions be damned; the new beats she applies makes her “Jimmy’s" rightful owner.
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. on ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic’

(Kcrw Video) M.I.A. sings in radio studio and is interviewed on ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic.’ ‘They said they had to eliminate me off the [visa denial] list, and I got worried because of the word “eliminate."’
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. says she’s more real than hip-hop

(Pitchforkmedia) I find it insulting that I can’t have any ideas unless it’s backed up by someone blond. I came from the mud hut in 15 years flat. It’s not a 3-gen experience like America... I’m here on a year visa, so I’m looking for a husband. (thanks, Paul)
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. introduces hipster to ‘Disco Dancer’

(Gorillavsbear) ‘Jimmy’ off M.I.A’s new album ‘Kala’ is actually a cover of a song from a 1982 Bollywood blockbuster called ‘Disco Dancer.’ Apparently this shit was huge in the Soviet Union. (thanks, Jana)
Previously: m.i.a.

M.I.A. in Crooklyn

(Voice) “I have an apartment in Brooklyn. It’d be nice to go there" once in awhile. “I was just coming from India, working in a little studio with cockroaches and little kids using my blank CDs as Frisbees..." She plans on settling in Brooklyn.
Previously: m.i.a.

Siren festival review

(NYT) ‘I nearly had a seizuh / Trying to get my visa / Just to come and talk to you,’� rhymed M.I.A. Ramesh Srivastava jumped around with his arm in the air, trying to turn his marvelously wimpy songs into rock ‘n’ roll anthems.
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Preview of ‘Kala’ by M.I.A.

(Voice) M.I.A. gambles by excluding all the big-name pop producers with whom she recorded tracks. “Boyz" layers the drums she recorded in India into soca patterns that she figured out in Trinidad or Jamaica.
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Seizure guaranteed

(MySpace) M.I.A.’s MySpace and her official site (www.miauk.com) bring the <blink> tag back in style.
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Why M.I.A. was denied a visa for Sasquatch

(Voice) If there’s one thing a descendant of the Tamil Tigers who’s shouted out the PLO could do to guarantee that she wouldn’t be let anywhere near U.S. soil, she’s done it — like released a track called “Bird Flu."
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Ansari MC’ing for M.I.A.

(Jambase) Comedian Aziz Ansari (MTV’s ‘Human Giant’) is MC’ing the Sasquatch Festival at the Gorge along with Sarah Silverman. M.I.A. sings.
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Next M.I.A. partly recorded in Trini

(Billboard) ‘Kala’ features Timbaland, Diplo, Blagstar and Dave Taylor (aka Switch). It was recorded in India, Trinidad, New York, London and Baltimore.
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Goodies

(Pitchforkmedia Photos) from M.I.A.’s video for “Boyz" off the “Kala" album, due Aug. 21. [via]
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New M.I.A. album: ‘Kala’

(Pitchforkmedia) M.I.A.’s second album will be called ‘Kala’ (‘Black’ in Hindi) and will be in stores June 26 on Interscope. She’s playing Sasquatch in WA and the Virgin Festival in Toronto.
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MIA the laziest blogger ever :)

(MySpace) After a month-long hiatus, here’s M.I.A.’s Feb. blog post in its entirety: “!!! ENGLAND, I DIDNT DO IT!!!!!!!! MORE RECORDS THEN THE KGB!!!!! GOT TO GO ... LATE FOR THE EMBASSY"
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Electronic Arts to sell music

(MTV) Songs by the Black Eyed Peas in Simlish, the nonsense language in “The Sims," will be available, as well as Snoop Dogg’s cover of “Riders on the Storm" from EA games. The EA executive is also impressed with M.I.A.
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M.I.A.’s spastic ‘Bird Flu’

(Crimson) Prancing in a tie-dyed shirt and policeman’s badge, M.I.A. leads a gyrating pack of six-year-olds in a wild parade. The children and livestock egg her on, and she grinds back at them. Her spastic yet nonchalant demeanor is at once natural and badass.
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M.I.A. playing the Gorge this summer

(Soulshine) M.I.A., Arcade Fire, Neko Case, Hold Steady, Beastie Boys, Interpol, Spoon, Dandy Warhols and Tokyo Police Club are playing the Gorge in Washington this summer.
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M.I.A., Furtado on new Timbaland album

(Rapnews) Guests on Timbaland’s new album ‘Shock Value’ include M.I.A., Nelly Furtado, the Hives, She Wants Revenge and Fall Out Boy.
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M.I.A. disses producer

(MySpace) I’m not sorry for dissing my ex. No one wanted to gimmie credit for my album that I put together. I wish someone did something about how much money hip hop has made off women’s ass in relation to how many women made it in hip hop, period.
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New M.I.A. track, ‘Grapes’

(MySpace) Like name-checking bin Laden in a Halloween haunted house.
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‘Arular’ sequel

(Pitchforkmedia) Diplo and Switch are mastering M.I.A.’s second album. She shacked up in the studio with chaperone to the chorus, Timbaland.
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M.I.A. in Liberia

(MySpace) Saw the most rawest things [in Liberia] since my head and heart got shat on by my ex-boyfriend who was gone to save strippers in Brazil� They have blocked the roads to Jaffna... 500,000 people are being starved systematically to death.
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We don’t get Lady Sov

(WaPo) Her screeching borders on grating. Her constant references to being 5’1" are annoying. The self-proclaimed “white midget" may have some limited M.I.A.-style success in the hipster market.
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Lady Sovereign more commercial than MIA

(Calendarlive) Sov’s absurdist take on daily life hits a chord more universal than M.I.A. or the Streets have yet found. Jay-Z wouldn’t have signed her if he hadn’t heard commercial potential. Sov’s closest peer, M.I.A., made the sound fierce.
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Lady Sovereign tries to crack U.S. market

(Nctimes) Lady Sovereign wants to buck the trend with her album, “Public Warning," which came out on Halloween. last year M.I.A. had tongues wagging with “Arular," but it seemed like only the eclectic set had her album.
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Benihana scion brought M.I.A. to America

(Printthis) Steve Aoki runs the indie record label Dim Mak and imported M.I.A. to the States. She’s crashed at his dad’s house. His nick, DJ Kid Millionaire, is ironic: his father hasn’t funded his record label. His sister is model Devon Aoki. [via]
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Download M.I.A.’s Latest Track

(Nirali) Called XR2, M.I.A.’s latest track represents a deviation from the trademark hyper-politicized songs of her debut album Arular.
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New M.I.A. track: ‘XR2’

(MySpace) Listen to the new M.I.A. track. The horns remind me of ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun,’ strangely. [via]
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M.I.A. not denied visa

(Mtvdesi) M.I.A.’s visa for the U.S. was delayed, not denied (via SM).
Previously: m.i.a.