M.I.A.

Released: October 31, 2004

[Verse 1]
When you wanna know what you did so low
Bounce up, jump jump, on that floor
[?] you're gonna get that dough
Step up when you hit that wall
Rocker, rocker, how many yo?
[?], how many yo?
I'mma talk about what you don't really know
That's the only way that you're ever gonna know

[Pre-Hook]
Why ya' buggin' at me? I'm buggin at ya' not
On the block where we flock, 'cause [?] stop
Why ya' buggin' at me? I'm buggin at ya' not
On the block where we flock, 'cause [?] stop
Why ya' buggin' at me? I'm buggin at ya' not
On the block where we flock, 'cause [?] stop
Why ya' buggin' at me? I'm buggin at ya' not
On the block where we flock, 'cause [?] stop

[Hook]
Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pa
Po-pa-po pop-pop-pop-pop-pa
Pop po-po-pop pop pop pop pa
Po-pa-po pop-pop-pop-pop-pa
Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pa
Po-pa-po pop-pop-pop-pop-pa
Pop po-po-pop pop pop pop pa
Po-pa-po pop-pop-pop-pop-pa

[Bridge]
What you wanna know? It was hard for me, yo
The badder they come, is the harder I go
It will set me off, I bounced the ball
[?] in a row
What you wanna know? It was hard for me, yo
The badder they come, is the harder I go
It will set me off, I bounced the ball
[?] in a row

[Verse 2]
Juka, juka, how many, yo?
Only gonna [?], how many, yo?
Big shot, big shot, where you gon' go?
[?], come fight for the cause
Juka, juka, how many, yo?
Juka, juka, how many, yo?
Juka, juka, how many, yo?
[?] gonna treat me don't work for me, yo

[Pre-Hook]
Why ya' buggin' at me? I'm buggin at ya' not
On the block where we flock, 'cause [?] stop
Why ya' buggin' at me? I'm buggin at ya' not
On the block where we flock, 'cause [?] stop
Why ya' buggin' at me? I'm buggin at ya' not
On the block where we flock, 'cause [?] stop
Why ya' buggin' at me? I'm buggin at ya' not
On the block where we flock, 'cause [?] stop

[Hook]
Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pa
Po-pa-po pop-pop-pop-pop-pa
Pop po-po-pop pop pop pop pa
Po-pa-po pop-pop-pop-pop-pa
Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pa
Po-pa-po pop-pop-pop-pop-pa
Pop po-po-pop pop pop pop pa
Po-pa-po pop-pop-pop-pop-pa

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.

more tracks from the album

Piracy Funds Terrorism

From the album

Piracy Funds Terrorism (2004)

M.I.A. popular songs

PopM.I.A.

M.I.A.

Piracy Funds Terrorism