M.I.A.

Released: September 9, 2016

Songwriter: The Partysquad M.I.A.

Producer: Spanker

[Verse 1]
Neon lights on the dust on the ground on the bus
Dirty roads makes that scarf wrap a must
Rolling by scrolling for the future on the app
Data mine my mind like a diamond in the ruff

[Hook]
A platform here's a train of thought
Getting to the right side of me is why I fought
I'm gonna say what I really got
Maybe there's glory in all the things I'm not
Guns keep it fun? Keeping men keeping on the run
Guns keep it fun? Keeping men keeping on the run
Guns keep it fun? Keeping men keeping on the run
Guns keep it fun? Keeping men keeping on the run

[Verse 2]
If oil is the god then the cranes all pray
The crude is so rude
Coz it makes the people pay
On the side of the road men make money
A flower for a dollar man
He wants a family
If I rose to power
It'll be a bouquet
Emoji a smiley
And say your ok
The tech dudes are the only ones having a good day
And talking is cheap
Coz they make it easy

[Hook]
A platform here's a train of thought
Getting to the right side of me is why I fought
I'm gonna say what I really got
Maybe there's glory in all the things I'm not

[Bridge]
Guns keep it fun? Keeping men keeping on the run
Those who love heat, yeah here comes the sun
Power to the people yeah the light is never done
Switch on for the bitches yeah electricity bun

[Hook]
A platform here's a train of thought
Getting to the right side of me is why I fought
I'm gonna say what I really got
Maybe there's glory in all the things I'm not

One of the most musically-diverse and perplexing artists of the 2000s, Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam is arguably the decade’s best representation of Hip-Hop in its truest form and artistry in its broadest, most diverse format. Her lyrics are as political as Public Enemy, her sound is more eclectic than Stankonia-era Outkast, and she is as aesthetically-driven as Kanye West.

The road that M.I.A. was forced to travel to international stardom was not an easy one. Born on July 18th, 1975 in Hounslow, West London to Sri-Lankan Tamil immigrants, she moved to her parents' homeland when she was only six months old. However, it was the Sri Lankan Civil War which came to shape her childhood. During her formative years, she witnessed many her father was hunted as an enemy of the state, her schools were bombarded, and her impoverished family was constantly in hiding. In 1986, her family moved back to London to find stability and a sense of relative peace.

In England, she discovered her artistic talents and completed several years of secondary education in fine art – eventually gaining attention as a visual artist, painter, and musician. In the early-2000s, Maya began to seriously explore her musical talents and used the internet and underground radio as the means to build her reputation as a unique and talented firebrand. Amidst her no-nonsense politics, however, critics from around the world heard a talent in the making.

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