MIA

it takes a musclol

People be havin' opinions, man.

Muscle and It Is are actually two of my favorite songs on the album

whats the matter with them DJP? too sellout?

They are too laconic for my tastes.

feeling's mutual

I argue that "It Is What It Is" and "It Takes A Muscle" are the exact opposite of "great"

I eventually came around on "Tell Me Why" but I'll never like those two.

That's kind of how I feel. Take out those tracks where she sings (Takes a Muscle, It Iz.., Story to be Told, Tell Me Why) and you've got a strong experimental electro world hip-hop album.

bringing discussion over from the Nguzunguzu thread. Nguzunguzu mixed Vicki Leekx but did we ever figure out who produced what?

The cover says production is from Danjahandz, Munchi, Diplo, Blaqstarr, Switch, Rusko, VIIXIIV and So Japan. Munchi's two tracks are clearly the two called Tamil Beat Munchi and Muder Sounds Munchi. Let Me Hump You is Blaqstarr and Gen -N-E-Y is Diplo, I think, given how pissed he got when she posted it for free on that website, but what did Danja do? I can't hear him here anywhere.

okay just to be clear... MIA has a song called LET ME HUMP YOU? lol

Blaqstarr ft. M.I.A. but it's on the M.I.A. mixtape, yeah.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPEceX46ImU

Also, as much as I love Beyonce, hearing Maya intone "A Hustler is a female version of a Hustler" in 'You My Love' is something I will never get tired of.

So Japan seems to be a new name to her producer roster. Anyone know about him/her/them? My googlefu seems to be lacking..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6o12Jo2V-A

Fun unreleased /\/\/\Y/\ track.

I'm a bit behind the times, and only discovered on saturday that "Jimmy" is just MIA singing over a Bollywood track of the same name. I found the original lost a bit by not having her vocal on it.

From Twitter just now:

_M_I_A_ M.I.A
i think story told and born free are the best songs i eva wrote, one makes me cry and the other make me try
14 seconds ago Favorite Retweet Reply

That's why I like Story to Be Told as well - it's where autobiography meets polemic, very movingly.

She did polemic autobiographical better on MIA from Arular imo. Born Free is a good 'get you going song', it's fun to run to.

Fun unreleased /\/\/\Y/\ track.

yay Digital Underground references

like Zig Zag! it's from '03 according to P4k. she's the master of putting the wrong songs on the albums it seems sometimes.

okay now that I'm in the mood for this, this is hot

2003? That's even before Piracy Funds Terrorism. And that sounds a lot more produced and better than PFT.

whoops. recording for Arular was apparently in '03, so I guess it's an Arular track. I guess it could fit.

She puts a lot of good songs as bonus tracks, which kind of annoys me since I have to go hunting for them. URAQT, Big Branch, Illygirl are some of her best tracks and all are Japan only or iTune bonus tracks.

"URAQT" is on the American rerelease of Arular, and "Big Branch" is on the rerelease of Kala.

(by which I just mean it's not like these tracks are actually hard to find!)

Caps Lock is a fave too; another of yr extra/ japan only jobs.

Diplo still doing a thriving line in slagging off MIA

"She’s not an easy artist to criticize because she’s very left-leaning, she’s progressive, she’s a woman."

I would say last year disproved his "not an easy artist to criticize" thesis.

http://www.wwd.com/eyescoop/boys-night-out-with-diplo-3610252/print/#/slideshow/article/3610252/3610294

Her biggest fan = Nic Roberts! http://www.nicolaroberts.co.uk/2011/05/read-nicolas-first-twitter-chat-in-full/

think i'd rather have Nic on my side than Diplo.

who is your fave artist at the moment? #beatofmydrum x
@_jessmay My favourite artist at the moment is @diplo

although it seems she likes both!

Her favourite Girls Aloud single is The Promise? smdh

well hasn't she been working with major lazer?

diplo's always been an annoying little bitch and "still slagging off your ex" after how many years is never a good look, no matter how many grains of truth there may be in it

From Twitter:

maura maura johnston
if a woman talked public smack about her ex as much as diplo talks shit about m.i.a. she would be branded as a psycho hose beast
1 minute ago

^ real talk

That Diplo is a complete douchebag isn't exactly news, is it?

I've taken it as a given for years

“Maya left herself open for attacks,” he says. “She’s not an easy artist to criticize because she’s very left-leaning, she’s progressive, she’s a woman. She’s good in a lot of aspects, but when it comes to die-hard, facts-on-the-ground politics, she’s at zero. She’s nothing. I told her at the beginning of the third record, like, do not bring politics into this. Obama’s the president, for one. You just can’t glamorize terrorism, it’s not cool.…You can’t hide behind that sh-t. But she totally did. She didn’t have a plan B. I told her from the beginning, it’s not going to work. And Lynn Hirschberg just ate it up. If she didn’t, the critics would have ate her up anyway because the record wasn’t good.”

Haha, as if Obama being prez means shit is all good.

MAYA is actually a dope album if you cut like 1/3 of the songs off and include the bonus tracks.. some of her best stuff actually

MAYA is actually a dope album as it stands.

the bonus tracks are better than most of the songs on the standard edition though ("internet connection," "CAPSLOCK," "illygirl")...

Reverend OTM. And whenever someone says "Don't bring politics into this," that usually means politics needs to be brought into it.

I didn't like the bonus tracks tbh, they all seem v undercooked compared to the album proper.

"CAPSLOCK,"

read this as "COCKSLAP," what is wrong w/ me??

finally watched Born Free after having avoided it for months now (out of fear that it would undermine my pretty positive of her when I don't listen to the lyrics)

= mistake

guesting on Madonna's new album supposedly.

Huh:

MIA has confirmed that she will be performing with Madonna and Nicki Minaj at the halftime show at the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis on February 5.

MIA's fourth album, which is the follow-up to her 2010 record 'Maya', is rumoured to feature contributions from Swizz Beatz, Cataracs and Chris Brown.

okay I'm gettin off this bus

her and MDNA are bezzie mates now as we used to say in Liverpool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npzcezjGMTg

if the rumor pans out, I'm off the bus too

Yeah. I already heard the rumour and I'm already KMT about the whole thing.

Honestly, Cataracs might be enough. I don't dislike their role in Dev or G6 or whatever, but it just seems like a wrongheaded move.

I really liked /\/\ /\ Y /\ and there were a bunch of fruitful directions on Vicki Leekx. This isn't one of them, imo.

at least "Bad Girls" is dope tho