Controversy follows her every move, yet M.I.A delights in thrilling her public with trailblazing rap, never afraid of tackling the issues of the day in both words and pictures.
Artist, director, label owner and activist, Mathangi Arulpragasam first tasted fame with Galang in 2004. Critics fell in love with her fiery blend of dancehall, soca, electro and countless other styles, all filled with bad-ass rhymes. Rolling Stone even named her one of its defining artists of the 2000's, with influences including Bjork, Missy Elliot and The Slits fuelling the anarchy found in tracks such as Bird Flu, Born Free and smash hit Paper Planes.
Unbound by convention, culture or genre and effortlessly three steps ahead of the rest of us, M.I.A is named after a hindu goddess - which is fitting as she's the anti pop-star we should all bow down to.
Controversy follows her every move, yet M.I.A delights in thrilling her public with trailblazing rap, never afraid of tackling the issues of the day in both words and pictures.
Artist, director, label owner and activist, Mathangi Arulpragasam first tasted fame with Galang in 2004. Critics fell in love with her fiery blend of dancehall, soca, electro and countless other styles, all filled with bad-ass rhymes. Rolling Stone even named her one of its defining artists of the 2000's, with influences including Bjork, Missy Elliot and The Slits fuelling the anarchy found in tracks such as Bird Flu, Born Free and smash hit Paper Planes.
Unbound by convention, culture or genre and effortlessly three steps ahead of the rest of us, M.I.A is named after a hindu goddess - which is fitting as she's the anti pop-star we should all bow down to.