M.I.A.

Released: May 11, 2010

Songwriter: M.I.A. Cherry Byron-Withers Charles Smith

Producer: Blaqstarr Rusko

[Verse 1]
Time after time, you been copping mine
Like, "Can I have a good time at yours tonight?"
Cause every time we try to get close
There is always something that I'm thinking about

[Pre-Chorus]
(You want me)
XXXO, XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO, XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO, XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO

[Chorus]
You want me be somebody who I'm really not
You want me be somebody who I'm really not
You want me be somebody who I'm really not
You want me be somebody who I'm really not

[Verse 2]
A knock at the door, and then we hit the floor
And all I know is you leave me wanting more
I don't let it show, but I think you know
Cause you tweeting me like Tweety Bird on your iPhone

[Pre-Chorus]
(You want me)
XXXO, XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO, XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO, XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO

[Chorus]
You want me be somebody who I'm really not
You want me be somebody who I'm really not
You want me be somebody who I'm really not
You want me be somebody who I'm really not

[Verse 3]
Upload your photo, see below
If you like what you see, you can download and store
We can find ways to expand what you know
I can be the actress, you be Tarantino

[Pre-Chorus]
(You want me)
XXXO, XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO, XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO, XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO
(You want me)
XXXO

[Chorus]
You want me be somebody who I'm really not
You want me be somebody who I'm really not
You want me be somebody who I'm really not
You want me be somebody who I'm really not

[Outro]
You want me be
You want me
You want me be
You want me

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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