M.I.A.

Released: July 5, 2004

Songwriter: Steve Mackey Ross Orton Stony Browder Jr August Darnell M.I.A.

Producer: The Cavemen M.I.A.

[Vocals: M.I.A. & Nesreen Shah]

[Verse 1: M.I.A.]
I bongo with my lingo
And beat it like a wing, yo
To Congo, to Colombo
Can't stereotype my thing, yo
I salt and pepper my mango
Shoot, spit out the window
Bingo, I got him in the thing, yo
Now what? I'm doing my thing, yo
Quit bending all my fingo
Quit beating me like you're Ringo
You wanna go? You wanna win a war?
Like P.L.O. I don't surrendo'

[Chorus: Nesreen Shah]
The sunshowers that fall on my troubles
Are over you, my baby
And some showers I'll be aiming at you
'Cause I'm watching you, my baby

[Verse 2: M.I.A.]
I bongo with my lingo
And beat like a wing, yo
To Congo, to Colombo
Can't stereotype my thing, yo
I checked that mouth on 'im
Fucking checked that gas on 'im
I had him, cornered 'im
Fucking shut that gate on 'im
Why would you listen to him?
He had his way, I'm bored of him
I'm tired of him
I don't wanna be as bad as 'im
It's a bomb, yo
So run, yo
Put away your stupid gun, yo
'Cause see through like protocol
That's why we blow it up 'fore we go

[Chorus: Nesreen Shah]
The sunshowers that fall on my troubles
Are over you, my baby
And some showers I'll be aiming at you
'Cause I'm watching you, my baby
The sunshowers that fall on my troubles
Are over you, my baby
And some showers I'll be aiming at you
'Cause I'm watching you, my baby

[Verse 3: M.I.A.]
Semi-9 and snipered 'im
On that wall they posted 'im
They cornered 'im
And then just murdered 'im
He told them he didn't know them
He wasn't there they didn't know him
They showed him a picture then
Ain't that you with the muslims?
He had Colgate on his teeth
And Reebok Classics on his feet
At a factory he does Nike
And then helps the family
Beat heart beat
He's made it to the Newsweek
Sweetheart seen it
He's doing it for the peeps
Peace

[Chorus: Nesreen Shah]
The sunshowers that fall on my troubles
Are over you, my baby
And some showers I'll be aiming at you
'Cause I'm watching you, my baby
The sunshowers that fall on my troubles
Are over you, my baby
And some showers I'll be aiming at you
'Cause I'm watching you, my baby
The sunshowers that fall on my troubles
Are over you, my baby
And some showers I'll be aiming at you
'Cause I'm watching you, my baby

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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MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A

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