Refugee • Maya
Arulpragasm, or M.I.A, has an interesting
past and worked hard to put out her
first album “Arular.” Interscope
Records
M.I.A.: Good beats, rapping needs work
By Niki Payne
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
Move over Mya, there is fresh new talent on the rise. Maya Arulpragasam, most
commonly known as M.I.A., has released her first official album in April, called “Arular,” after
the success of her promotional mix tape “Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1.” Her
funky music and distinctive voice make her truly one-of-a-kind in the music
business.
Anyone seen the new Honda commercial? That’s right, M.I.A. is starting
to go mainstream after stunning people with her early underground singles like “Galang” and “Sunshowers.” These
raw dance beats are good for clubs, making any girl want to shake her booty
as fast as Shakira.
M.I.A. is very unique in her origins having spent her childhood in Sri Lanka
and becoming a refugee of the country’s civil war. She then settled in
London with her mother where she studied fine art and film. Along the road she
made friends with someone who introduced her to the Roland MC-505, a discontinued
drum machine. In 2002, M.I.A’s musical trail began as she started making
her first beats with this drum machine. Two years later M.I.A. her musical
pursuits began.
“
I had the 505, a shitty four-track recorder, and a tiny mic. I could do it in
my bed. At the end of my first week I made a beat. At the end of the second week
I was doing vocals. By the end of the second month I could write a song, and
by month three I was actually getting it right,” she recalls.
M.I.A. has been linked in collaboration with major artists like Missy Elliot
and Jay-Z. Her music consists of poorly written political lyrics on top of
a blend of music varieties: reggae, hip-hop and rap, with a little bit of Latin
flavor. Her distinct voice makes her difficult to understand at times making
her sound like she saying words that aren’t really words. Isn’t that
what rappers love to do? What the heck is a “galang” or an “arular”?
Her music style may be fresh, new and exciting, but it is also repetitive and
ultimately boring. It is hard to sit through the CD without skipping through
tracks. The songs all sound pretty similar. One of her early underground singles, “Galang,” is
described by the New York Times as having “a monstrous beat topped with
playful party changes and a magnificent surprise — some wordless singing — near
the end.” The wordless singing is annoying. Let’s just put it this
way, she sings a lot of vowels.
The lyrics are very weak in that they are hard to understand because her rapping
is amateur and whenever you can understand, the lyrics seem meaningless.
“
Squeeze me like a hombre, take my number call me, I can get squeaky so you can
come and hold me,” are lyrics from her song “Hombre.”
Another
song that is as good dance beats but horrible sounding lyrics is “Bucky
Done Gun,” whatever that means. I still haven’t figured out what
the song is about exactly. My favorite song for dancing is “10 Dollar.” The
beat really gets you moving, it’s that splash of Latin. As for the lyrics,
I still haven’t a clue what she’s saying.
The music is fun to dance to at a club or party. Her beats are good, but her
lyrics are horrible. Her rapping is even worse. It’s like the Ying Yang
Twins meets Shakira. The only thing impressive about this new artist is the inspiration
she is.
“
People don’t realize that I had to come from a village in Sri Lanka to
get here. So the journey is about the journey itself —not just about doing
music,” she said.
M.I.A. is constantly developing as a person and an artist. When I think of
M.I.A., I think, “If she can do it, so can I,” because that is the inspiration
she gives. If you are into dance revolution music, check out M.I.A.’s album
entitled “Arular.” For now, M.I.A. is laying the groundwork for
a second album.
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