M.I.A.

Released: September 9, 2016

Songwriter: M.I.A.

Producer: Spanker

[Verse 1]
You say you love their coco (Hey)
They say they love their boko (M.I.A.)
Some say fuck all (Hey)
But I'm here to take all

[Hook]
Hands up
If you hear a knock on the door
Hands up
If you hear a knock on the door
Hands up
If you hear a knock on the door
I'm here to take you there because you act like you forgot

[Verse 2]
Highly explosive, ready and raw
Everything banging like we're in Bangalore
Sounds of swords cutting edge like woah
Toyota truck, pick us up, let's go!

[Hook]
Hands up
If you hear a knock on the door
Hands up
If you hear a knock on the door
Hands up
If you hear a knock on the door
I'm here to take you there because you act like you forgot

[Verse 3]
Loads of men can't handle this ride
When will they know we're best by their side
They keep us down and we take it in stride
Throw up your head if you've still got light
World will know 'cause we just can't hide
City will know, 'cause the money we find
Yeah it's time you better get behind
Past is past and you can't hit rewind

[Bridge]
We them girls, say holla holla holla
We hold the world, say holla holla holla

[Hook]
Hands up
If you hear a knock on the door
Hands up
If you hear a knock on the door
Hands up
If you hear a knock on the door
I'm here to take you there because you act like you forgot

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.

SwordsM.I.A.

M.I.A.

Matahdatah Scroll 01 “Broader Than A Border”