YN Editorial: Who’s That Girl?
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Don’t know much about M.I.A. Truthfully, I’ve been avoiding her music like a plague for the past few years. Even the “Paper Planes”/”Swagger Like Us” movement didn’t pull me in. I really don’t know why. I mean, my music taste can be broad at times. Plus all the critics I know dig her. I mean she did win the 2009 Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the BET Awards. Owww.
Still the hot talk yesterday was ole girl and her controversial new video so I had to see what’s what. And yup, a whole lot of violence is goin’ on up top. The overall script: Attack of the redheads. A bunch of Sheamus lookalikes get touched. A bootleg Justin Bieber gets bucked—rock-a-bye baby—New Jack City style. This ain’t no Ice-T Surviving The Game shit either. It’s dark, artsy and scary. Oops, there goes a flying hand. Shit, I’m waiting for Kanye to take a break from recording in Don Ho land just so he can post it. All caps everything. And don’t forget the exclamation points!!!!
Still lost in the mini-film is the actual music. You know, this is supposed to be about Maya’s first single from a new album and I can barely notice it. Except for the occasional, “I was booorrrnnn. Freee!” Catchy. But I wanted to hear more. So I just downloaded the song and you know what, it’s pretty good. I mean I’m probably not gonna bump it as much as all the new rap that just dropped (Today was a good day for traffic!) but I’ll keep it in my New Shit playlist. For now. Listen up!
“I don’t wanna talk about money, ’cause I got it
And I don’t wanna talk about hoochies, ‘cos I been it
And I don’t wanna be that fake, but you can do it.”
Maybe if Minaj doesn’t float your boat, we should open our hearts and find a place for our Sri Lankan sister in the hip-hop universe. I know I miss MC Lyte as much as anyone and Roxanne Shante when she was still honest. Hey, Latifah’s in Hollywood and she ain’t comin’ back. Lauryn Hill is not walkin’ through that door! It might just be OK to give M.I.A. a chance. That’s all I am saying. No justice. No peace.
Props, YN. M.I.A. is ’bout it, ’bout it – no Mia X.
Dude – that songs a frisbee – direct to recycle bin banger…
YN is out of touch.
GENIUS!!!
I’m not mad at it. Crazy ass video. Some may call it desensitizing, but I think adults should see this kind of thing to at least once in a while to have a clearer idea of the ridiculous things that go on in the world, without just talking about it.
DAMN!!! this is one of the trippy-est and most disturbing things i’ve seen in a while… very interesting video…
song is staight doo-doo though, dounds like sober ke$ha mixed with rolling stones LOL
I love this song/video. It’s great to see Maya coming back hard, and getting respect and notice in the core hip-hop community. That’s that rebel shit we’re supposed to be talking. Everyone is “talking” about being an “individual” and pushing boundaries, but who is really doing it? B.o.B and Drake are too busy trying to get white people to like them. There’s nothing risky about anything they’re doing. You either dig it or you don’t, same as anything?
Erykah, M.I.A., even Gaga. Who is genuinely pushing music and culture forward these days? Who is getting people actually having conversations about ethics and standards? It’s the women. Even Nicki is the most controversial artist, stylistically, since who knows when. These niggas better catch up. Who gives a fuck if you sample Coldplay?
Another 1 of London’s finest……
@Can, Now I love B.o.B way more than Bobby Ray but I really don’t think Drake and B.o.B thought “How can I please these white people?” when they wrote their records. I mean, to do something other than cars, bling, and hoes in rap is damn near career suicide. So in a sense, B.o.B IS doing something risky. I don’t think it should matter who likes it. They have accomplished a lot. And i’ll never knock someone who is doing something LEGAL, and I probably wouldn’t if it was illegal because i’m not walking in the next man’s shoes. Now since this post is about M.I.A, she’s more hip-hop than the majority of the rap industry. 3 albums deep and ya’ll just now giving her a listen? Come on YN.
@Eric Wright
Your second comment shows you know basically nothing about music.
@TopBananas
B.o.b really isn’t doing anything risky, most of his album is cliche pop rock with some corny rhymes and hooks thrown in. He jacks a Vampire Weekend melody, gets Rivers Cuomo on a song, and has two songs with the definition of emo pop singing his hook (Hayley Williams). Not to mention he gets features from two popular hip-hop heavy weights. If you turn on the radio and listen to a pop station, B.o.B’s album sounds like all of the non hip-hop/R&B songs playing.
@TopBananas
Since when is it risky to not rap about cars, bling, and hoes? Kanye West is one of the five most famous and respected rappers in the world? Jay-Z -and- Kanye had songs with Coldplay almost five years ago. Outkast was doing straight up Beatles homages ten years ago. Wyclef Jean’s entire career. A Tribe Called Quest existed 20 years ago. Run DMC and Aerosmith?
The Black Eyed Peas, Flo Rida, this pop crossover shit is all the rage. And I just don’t see why its supposed to be surprising. Because people have short memories?
I’m being rude about it, I apologize, but it really bothers me. I think there’s a lot of complacency. B.o.B is just a new breed of pop rapper. Which isn’t bad. I think he’s cool, and I think Drake is great. I think it’s the media hyping themselves up and making up their own “barriers” to have people “break down” so consumers will think shit is a bigger deal than it actually is and buy into it (and buy it).
If rappers wanted to make a statement they would say “treating women like shit and celebrating it is -not- cool” instead of just not doing it themselves on their big singles or they would take an absolute stand against homophobia like Kanye -tried- to do before he backslid his damn self. That’s risktaking. What they’re doing is calculated demographic shifts.
word to @Yessir
Many people won’t get this video and that is probably the best part of it…
YN, I dig this editorial. M.I.A is the truth. Literally. Her music is way out there sometimes but she always pushes the envelope creatively. You’d never see another mainstream artist follow up the huge success of “Paper Planes” with a video and song as inacessible yet powerful as this one. The video is especially dope following the racist Arizona immigration laws that just passed. This shit isn’t as out there as you might think.
Ya’ll should read M.I.A’s bio too. Her life is crazy and it’s all reflected in her music.
“Maybe if Minaj doesn’t float your boat, we should open our hearts and find a place for our Sri Lankan sister in the hip-hop universe.”
Wow dude. This post should be titled “LATE PASS” Did you not watch the Grammys when they did Swagger Like Us? Remember, she was the pregnant girl? Make room for MIA? Dude, MIA is a pretty much a rapper and she’s pretty much the best female rapper in like years. How is it possible you haven’t listened to her first two albums already? FAIL. FAIL. FAIL.
I hear ya’lls argument (@Can/@Yessir) I just feel like B.o.B had good songs from the get go and probably a nice little fan base where he still could have done some things with that sound. But I don’t think we should assume he switched the style up for sales. And as far as risky goes I agree with your homophobia assessment but it’s probably going to be a while before someone does that again, actually stays with it and preaches it. Androgyny would be risk taking in my eyes but we aren’t seeing that any time soon and if we did, it won’t be accepted and praised by rap/hip-hop fans. Hip hop is a descendant from dancehall and we know how that arena is.
oh and my apologies for turning this into a Nah Right comment section
Dear Elliott,
i underestimated you. Even though you are mad late on MIA, i am glad to see that you arent the ignorant, narrow minded americano you sometimes come across as (you know what i mean:)
honestly i swear all the comments are on point,the video was crazy but she showing what going on in country, i respect the truth and someone willing to stand for something.97% of these rappers out here lie about their life to sell records but she records what she knows,but i wasnt feeling this song at all sounds like something out your local garage band.
Posted by: YN
“A bunch of Sheamus lookalikes get touched”
^^^
Props to YN for showing MIA love, but wrestling references??? We been off that since ’00
I’m still anti-M.I.A, and it will stay that way until her inevitable car crash death. But even then i probably will still dislike her.
*I’ll -will. I need to proof read more often :(.
Now Don’t get me wrong M.I.A. is the shit been the shit but I just don’t think her music belongs on “Rap” Radar.
I don’t think the people who visit this blog will understand her diverse music.
Than again I might be wrong who knows maybe this will expose her to new fans.
Again M.I.A. is the shit straight up.
u mad late on this one it’s kinda embarassing
WOW the lemon-headed fuckwit of a blogger finally got on the MIA bandwagon. Where the fuck where you when Arular just dropped?! Fuck outta here.
that shit freaked me out….my hair is almost that colour!!!!!!
I love M.I.A got both her cds even though i can see some cant get into her, but hers the question “Is she hip hop? I mean there is hip hop elements definetly but shes not really rapping”?
[…] YN Editorial: Who’s That Girl?: Don’t know much about M.I.A. Truthfully, I’ve been avoiding her music like a plague for the past few years. Even the “Paper Planes”/”Swagger Like Us” movement didn’t pull me in. I really don’t know why. I mean, my music taste can be broad at times. Plus all the critics I know dig her. I mean she did win the 2009 Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the BET Awards. Owww. […]