M.I.A.

Released: October 31, 2004

[Verse 1: LL Cool J]
They call me Big L'y, Big Silly
Big Money, Big Billy
When I'm sliding in them all can ya' hear me?
I be sexing wit these bars so ya' feel me
Let me grip it up for cuz in the back
Let me grip it, get a buzz in ya' hat
I'm a tell ya' how to cause an attack
Timbaland, Ladies Love on the track
Lovely get the ice, pop champagne
Don't forget, I used to ride on the train
When I bump it right, call my name
Go crazy in the mall with James
Dump that, not ill like me
Bring the women in to chill for free
Let me tell ya' girl, don't try me
You better have I.D.!

[Hook: Timbaland]
When we be up in the club
We be posting the back
When we be in the club
Girls always come to the back
And we 'bout to get our head sprung
And we 'bout to get our head sprung
And we 'bout to get our head sprung
And we 'bout to get our head sprung
When we be up in the club
We be posting the back
When we be in the club
Girls always come to the back
And we 'bout to get our head sprung
And we 'bout to get our head sprung
And we 'bout to get our head sprung
And we 'bout to get our head sprung

[Verse 2: LL Cool J]
Lord have mercy! If the broad is thirsty
I'll have her man reimburse me
The part that hurts me, is when they try to work me
But I could never let ya' jerk me
Steady sticking to the wall, give it up
Sneaking through the back door live it up
Got the champagne, pour me a cup
Got the girls looking raw in the front
Got a call your man's in town
Tell the bar, a-nother round
Got all my mans holding me down
Kinda thick ma', let's get down, so get with it
I'm saying what time wanna dip with it?
Got playas on the grind, wanna skip with it
Backstage you mine, I'ma spit with it, hey!

[Hook: Timbaland]
When we be up in the club
We be posting the back
When we be in the club
Girls always come to the back
And we 'bout to get our head sprung
And we 'bout to get our head sprung
And we 'bout to get our head sprung
And we 'bout to get our head sprung

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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