If you're not familiar with Arular, then you should go pick up a copy or download it. It's the debut album of a talented young artist named M.I.A. who hails from the U.K. Her sound is a spectacular mash-up of hip-hop, dancehall, baile funk, Miami bass, and whatever other stuff that makes you just dance involuntarily. I was quite enamored with her whole style for a good portion of '05 and '06. I'm glad her sophomore debut wasn't some 'neutered-for-U.S.-audiences' shiny coaster of an album like Lady Sovereign's. For LP #2, it seems M.I.A. spent quite a bit of time traveling the world from the dark continent to down under. The song, "Boyz"(above video), sounds like a plugged-in tribal celebration. The rest of the album is full of the same eclectic ingenuity that made me dig the first one so much. Listening to an album like this is an oasis in the desert.
The older I get, the harder it is to find new music. Though I gotta admit, I'm kinda feeling like Crankin' Dat Soulja Boy:
"Then Supaman that 'o..." Wow.
P.S. - Though I can't vouch for the entire album, Int'l Players Anthem - U.G.K. feat. Outkast is the best rap song of the year. Hands-down, dunny.
4 comments:
"Cause yo if I look and see another brother / On the video tryin to out-dance each other / I'm a tell T-Bone to pass the bottle..."
--Ice Cube, "The Nigga Ya Love To Hate." I like it though (the Soulja Boy, not so much the MIA).
Yeah, those used to be words to live by, but then Cube went and made Player's Club along with the 'jump the shark' single "We Be Clubbin'" After that, I was completely disillusioned.
MIA is from Sri Lanka, not the UK, right?
-elw/lw
Born in the U.K., raised in Sri Lanka and later came back to the U.K. in her teenage years. Became established on the U.K. music scene. Father was prominent in the Tamil Tiger movement.
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