M.I.A.

Released: October 31, 2004

[Refrain]
London calling, speak the slang now
Boys say "wha', gwan", girls say "wha', wha'"
London calling, speak the slang now
Boys say "wha', gwan", girls say "wha', wha'"

[Verse 1]
Slam
Galang, galang, gala
Gala-gala-gala-lang-galang-gala
Shotgun, get down
Get down, get down, get down
Getta-getta-getta down, get down, get down
Too late, you down
Dun-dun-da-dun-da-dun
Ta-na-ta-na-ta-na, tah-ne-tah-ne-tah

[Hook]
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang

[Verse 2]
Who the hell is hounding you in the BMW?
How the hell he find you? 147'd you
The feds gon' get you, pull the strings on the hood
One paranoid youth blazin' through the hood
Who the hell is hounding you in the BMW?
How the hell he find you? 147'd you
The feds gon' get you, pull the strings on the hood
One paranoid youth blazin' through the hood

[Hook]
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang

[Refrain]
London calling, speak the slang now
Boys say "wha', gwan", girls say "wha', wha'"
London calling, speak the slang now
Boys say "wha', gwan", girls say "wha', wha'"

[Verse 3]
They say
Rivers gonna run though, work is gonna save you
Pray and you will pull through, suck a dick'll help you
Don't let 'em get to you, if he's got one you get two
Backstab your crew, sell it I could sell you
They say
Rivers gonna run though, work is gonna save you
Pray and you will pull through, suck a dick'll help you
Don't let 'em get to you, if he's got one you get two
Backstab your crew, sell it I could sell you

[Hook]
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Blaze a blaze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang
Purple haze, galang-a-lang-a-lang-lang

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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