M.I.A Governs Speech, Knowledge, Music and the Arts

“…the last time I read on their government website it said If I ever came back to Sri-Lanka there’s a grave waiting for me” -proclaims the enigma rapper M.I.A.

Sri Lankan born, Maya Mathangi Arulpragasm, widely known as M.I.A. Brought up in LDN and raised in the shadows of Sri Lankan civil war, a female rapper and multi-talented artist communicates political messages through a mash up of global sounds. Recognised and praised by rap icons such as Nas: “M.I.A’s sound is the future.”
Ayeeee

She also speaks through her art and so I did a quick edit inspired by her loud style.

This is how it began. Maya produced a demo tape “Galang” which gave her an online presence before getting a record deal. Once signed to XL Recordings in 2003, “Galang” was released which acclaimed No. 8 on the US dance charts!

Soon after in 2005, she released her first album “Arular” named after her father.  Regardless of her success, she gained much attention from critics who closely analysed her revolutionary narrative sandwiched by club beats, hints of electronica iced with radical rap. Like,“Bucky Done Gone”which signifies Maya’s visit to Brazil. After noticing a massive class divide, she decided to encompass Favela funk and sounds of the ghetto to break the mould on commercial radio.
WARNING: Heavy dose of libido  

Her second album “Kala” (2007) was named after her mother. And my all time FAV is  “Bird Flu”. Maya resurrects beatbox rhythms in her DIY music video; delivering gunshots with remnants of punk and political lyrics:

“Ghetto pops, food drops, stored up in my stable” illustrating one of her profound themes; governments in third world countries.
Yasssssss

This was shortly followed by her third album “Matangi” released in 2013 which shows a transition from politically inspired lyrics to blends of Middle Eastern drums. I lurrrve her song "Y.A.L.A” where it's all about, you always live again! A spin on rapper Drake’s “Y.O.L.O”
HOMEWORK: Watch the video when you're high then drop me a DM.

BUT she didn't sell as well as her last two albums and soon her career became challenged by critical acclaim.

Her alternative outlook on being a musician sets her apart from commercial artists in the present time. After being approached by big names like Timbaland, she began to refuse opportunities that would have heightened her career -as the first Sri Lankan, female rapper in the twenty first century. This makes her badass.

She focuses on her own vision and created her own label “Neet” on which she released her latest album “/\/\ /\ Y /\” (2010). Having said that, her image began to shine bright like a diamond when Jay-Z and T.I sampled her single “Paper Planes” for their track “Swagga Like Us.” This lead to an iconic Grammy performance in 2009, where Lil Wayne, T.I, Jay-Z AND rapper Kanye West performed their remix alongside Maya who rocked, despite being eight months pregnant and receiving contractions on stage. If I was her... my water would have broken ...twice.

Adele once did it and so did Maya at the Super Bowl halftime performance in 2012. (Edited by moi.)

Shit went down when Maya was given the opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl halftime
performance in 2012, alongside Nicki Minaj and Madonna. The trio performed “Give Me All Your Luvin” in ornate roman costume and swept the audience... until Maya rapped her verse and stuck her middle finger up. She was scrutinized and victimized by many celebrities, NBC and NFL yet her response was:

“I don’t give a shit.”
At least she's honest.

Her bravado may not be to some people’s taste but she stands by that.

“I’m exactly the person that kind of, needs to be eradicated” she admitted in an interview with Q host, Jian Ghomeshi on CBC radio. She sits holding her head, then plays with the radio leads every five minutes, unravelling them as she processes her answers. Jian patiently waits a lengthy five seconds before she answers every question, as if she was biting her tongue.

After being asked whether her career relies on causing a stir, she quickly responded:

“The only reason you think I'm doing this to cause a stir is because no one else is doing it

That’s why you think I stick out like a sore thumb; ‘somebody who is obviously so wrong’…and it’s like…no.”

A journalist took-the-piss as Maya met New York Times journalist, Lynn Hirschberg who published an article titled “M.I.A’s Agitprop Pop”. Here, Hirschberg presented her as naïve and hypocritical; overseeing her political stand for supposed personal gain. Without hesitation... Maya backfired by tweeting “CALL ME IF YOU WANNA TALK TO ME ABOUT THE N Y T TRUTH ISSUE, ill b taking calls all day bitches ;)" alongside Hirschberg’s phone number.

If you look carefully you can see me. "Bad Girls" (2013).

Indefinitely, Maya raises awareness through her music, words and her actions about issues which aren’t tackled by artists in the way that she does.

In 2010 her stay in America was questioned again, when she released a music video supporting her single “Born Free”. The video reveals a merciless truth depicting a group of red-haired youths who are gathered into a military van, taken to a derelict land where they are killed one by one. You also see, a man smoking crack, a naked couple having sex and a kid shot in the head. Ultimately, it expresses the extra-judicial murders of Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan army.

But no, the video was under scrutiny and her political message was overlooked. The Guardian commented “…it also contravenes terms and conditions about levels of violence in user-uploaded content.”

Yet, a whole documentary was broadcasted by Channel 4 called “No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka” and that was OK’d LOL. And YouTube immediately banned the video. It’s clear that her expression challenges the conventions of a celebrity but that is what makes her different!!!

A South-Asian woman has never reached to this level of publicity in the music industry in the UK. The last time I remember a South Asian woman making POSITIVE news, is Sayeeda Warsi. The first female Pakistani Muslim to attend cabinet and news anchors gasped as she put her foot down and resigned over her disagreement with the government’s views on the Gaza conflict in 2014.
Shame Dawud Kamran.

So, no we’re not just about constantly being a victim aka Shilpa Shetty’s five minute screen time on Big Brother in 2007 in which she was called “Shilpa poppadum” and was told to “f*** off home”. Malala is another example of an iconic South Asian who smashed the glass ceiling and spoke for women’s educative rights in Pakistan…yet people still questioned why she received the Nobel Peace Prize award in 2014.
*SIGH*

Therefore as Maya continues to do what she does, perhaps it would invite more South Asian women to the public eye and be vocal instead of...sweating your tits off in A-level then buying a one way ticket to marriage/henna apprenticeships/Asda.

All I'm saying is, I'd do anything to have a kebab with her and just listen to what she has to say because it feels fucking great to be able to empathise with a warrior!!!

There was ‘Too Many Man’

On the 21st of November...2014.

Stairs lead me underground to a dungeon of bucket hats, Adidas and hoodie strings.

No way did I just enter a venue for free, and I’m about to see big Grime artists before my eyes?! All I knew is that my shoes were going to get ruined!

Why did I choose to stand right at the front? The stage displayed three microphone stands, the floor clothed in a mustard Turkish rug. Thick black leads followed to the DJ’s station and my ear drums were not safe. Gigantic 10ft speakers stood on either side of the stage blasting garage beats that you’re hypnotised to bop your head.

Groups of people dressed in all fashions, the Asap Rocky’s stood next to the School Boy Q’s and ironically this wasn’t a hip hop event at all. I started to notice the air was getting heavier with a trace of sweat and weed. Yes, weed.

I was at a Grime Karaoke event.

You wouldn't put those two words together would you? Yeah, neither would I. To clarify, random people put their names down to rap along to a Grime song of their choice. The first group of three girls were so intoxicated that they lasted three minutes on stage and couldn't find their fourth friend. 

The next act was someone who goes by ‘Penguin’. Fluently rapped to every word, the crowd went ballistic! I am dreading to see myself in any photography as I was starting to lose my balance.

People started filming, pushing, shoving, shouting, screaming. This is when it hit me that standing at the front was the worst decision I could make. My ear was glued to the pulsing speaker. My chest was possessed by this monotonous beat.

Why, you ask? Well, because an artist called Ghetts parted the crowd like Moses and took the stage. 

Wearing a black, bear mink scarf with a leather jacket, a leopard print snap back on backwards and navy Nike trainers. It was definitely his definition of swag.

Outside I walked into the newsagents and bought a ten pack of Marlboro Red just so I could walk past his Mercedes (his friend’s Mercedes).

(Yes, that's me checking out his legit mink "sweg")

As I approached him I began to chat about Grime on a level. He smiled showing perfect teeth and put his hands into the right pocket of his jeans; he folded his arms to listen.

“There’s this kid called Wiley, basically he tried his thing at jungle, garage, they never liked him much, they tried push him out because his sound was a little different.”

“You will never be able to understand the present unless you know the history of grime, so when you get home look at things like Crazy Titch, Escobar, Kano when he first started.”

Grime is sourced at home, its authenticity stems from the struggle and conveys the true meaning behind a particular lifestyle. It raised a new platform to talk about the reality of what was happening in that present time.

“The area was changing. More stabbings were happening, people were getting robbed and the music kinda reflected that. It breeded a new type of MC to talk about the reality of what was going on, instead of just talking about “Ollie Ollie Ollie”.”

Perhaps the genre of Grime will continue as a niche and avoid the mainstream chart music but it’s evident that this year it had gained commercial recognition.

“Recently, for me this year has been the most successful, MOBO, BET awards, tours sold out.”

“I dislike that there’s lots of culture vultures that don’t really know much about the scene- f*** all of them.”

He made a habit of looking left and adjusting his black mink scarf. He checked his I-phone 6 then shook his head after realising I’m still there.

“When I die no one cares about chart cred, they’ll care about what I done for the genre.”

"What’s your advice for future grime artists?"

After a momentary pause with police sirens blaring in the background, he answered…

“Don’t send for me.”