M.I.A.

Released: October 31, 2004

[Intro: Cutty Ranks]
Duck a dill, dill, dill
Say, a boy get kill
Duck a dill, dill, dill
You better sign unuh will (Sinting dead)
Duck a dill, dill, dill
A boy get kill
Duck a dill, dill, dill
Lock up in di barrel (Sinting dead)

[Chorus: Cutty Ranks]
Limb by limb we a go cut dem down
Send fi the hacksaw, take out dem tongue
Limb by limb we a go cut dem down
Send fi the hacksaw, take out dem tongue
When dem see me, me, me, me
Mi say, di hitman a come
See me, me, me, me
Mi say, mi just cyan done (Heh!)
See me, me, me, me
Mi see di hitman a come
See me, me, me, me
Mi say, mi just cyan done (Heh!)

[Hook: Cutty Ranks]
Dem want I, dem want I (Bag of idiot!)
To come a dem funeral
Dem think say, dem think say (A fool dat!)
Dem a the general
Dem want I, dem want I (Bag of idiot!)
To come a dem funeral
Dem think say, dem think say (A fool dat!)
Dem a the general

[Verse 1: Cutty Ranks]
Nuff a dem a pose up like a dem run di world
Mek me tell you something, fi mi gun, it a mi girl
Nuff a dem a pose like a dem run di world
Mek me tell you something, fi mi gun, it a mi girl
Mi gun me hug up and kiss, sleep with at night
If a boy try a thing, me shot out him eyesight
You know I and I is dynamite
When me hold microphone, I strictly truth or right

[Chorus: Cutty Ranks]
Limb by limb we a go cut dem down
Send fi the hacksaw, take out dem tongue
Limb by limb we a go cut dem down
Send fi the hacksaw, take out dem tongue
When dem see me, me, me, me
Mi say, di hitman a come (Sinting dead!)
See me, me, me, me
Mi say, mi just cyan done
See me, me, me, me
Mi see di hitman a come (Sinting dead!)
See me, me, me, me
Mi say, mi just cyan done

[Hook: Cutty Ranks]
Dem want I, dem want I (A fool that!)
To come a dem funeral
Dem think say, dem think say (Bag of idiot!)
Dem a the general
Dem want I, dem want I (A fool that!)
To come a dem funeral
Waan them know say, them know say (Bag of idiot!)
I man, is the general

[Verse 2: Cutty Ranks]
Pick ya coffin, and your burial spot
You nuh see I and I, me coming down hot?
Pick ya coffin, and your burial spot
You nuh see Cutty Ranks a rule up the spot?
Pick ya coffin, and your burial spot
You nuh see I and I, me coming down hot?
You see di gunshot? When that fire, it hot
All di informer dem, dem fi step back
You see the gunshot? When that fire, it hot
Tell dem, I and I, rule up the spot
You see di gunshot? When that fire, it hot
You must of build a big house over Dovecot
Wha' flowers a do? We have flowers pon top—

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

Untitled (M.I.A/Cutty Ranks)M.I.A.

M.I.A.

Piracy Funds Terrorism