M.I.A. Kala Album Cover

Words by Matthew Mundy

The internet, as we all know, has the tendency to hype artists beyond any reasonable measure or expectation. The hype accumulates with frightening speed and ferocity, soaking up so much of the internet’s tastemaker’s good favor that, when it inevitably lands in your hands or arrives on your digital doorstep, it’s so heavy, bogged down and soggy with the expectations of others that it’s almost inescapably a disappointment. It’s thus an exceedingly rare feat then, when an album not only meets its absurd expectations, but obliterates them. This, I am elated to say, is the case with M.I.A.’s new album, Kala.

For the uninitiated, M.I.A. is a British artist of Sri Lankan Tamil origin with an apartment in Brooklyn, a product of a mish-mash of cultures that is unsurprisingly reflected in her music. Her debut album, Arular, was a thundering mash-up of hip-hop, grime, electronic music, baile funk, dancehall, and a host of other genres. Since then, she has been a bit of a nomad, roaming from country to country while soaking up the sounds of the cultures that she immersed herself in. The result is an unqualified success, and her album has immediately launched itself into the (admittedly shallow) pool of the year’s best albums.

Musically, it’s the most thrilling album I can recall in recent memory. It’s impeccably produced, and she (credited as a co-producer) has clearly been soaking up the eclectic sounds she has encountered over the past while. It’s a triumph of both style and substance, and opener ‘Bamboo Banga’ epitomizes this right off the bat. A furious, uncompromising beast of a track, the song slowly builds momentum while she adopts a quietly menacing tone, dragging the more implied politics of Arular kicking and screaming into the open, fiercely asserting her solidarity with the Third World. Over a thumping drumbeat, she intones: ‘Yeah, I’m knocking on the doors of your Hummer Hummer / Yeah we hungry like the wolves hunting dinner dinner / And we moving with the packs like hyena – ena’. It’s an absolutely thrilling moment, effortlessly highlighting the underlying menace of both the song and poverty, linked as they are here. Linkages like this are scattered throughout the album, and her politics are much more coherent and authentic-feeling on Kala than they were on Arular.

First single ‘Boyz’ is another electrifying track, a galloping, explosively catchy thrill ride. ‘Jimmy’ lets M.I.A. unleash her Bollywood songstress on top of another heavily percussive backdrop, replete with epic strings and her alternating coy and strong vocals, both near breathless at points.

The only hiccup is ‘Mango Pickle Down River’ featuring the Wilcannia Mob, a gaggle of rapping Australian Aboriginal kids. Musically, it’s a banger, with a didgeridoo (a traditional aboriginal instrument – its absence in hip hop production previous to this leaves one’s mouth agape at its omission) providing a haunting, reverberating bass hum. Unfortunately, while her handing a guest spot to the Wilcannia Mob is laudable, they aren’t quite up to the task. What’s worse, M.I.A. mimics their delivery, leaving the once promising idea awash in blandness and repetition.

The two pillars that the monumental success of the album leans on, though, are ’20 Dollar’ and ‘Paper Planes’. The former is a marvel, featuring production that is at once cold and lush, stand-offish and welcoming, sweeping and claustrophobic. M.I.A. sinks into its contradictory waters admirably, letting her voice float on top while grounding the song in a crushing reality: ‘Do you know the cost of AKs / Up in Africa / 20 dollars ain’t shit to you but that’s how much they are / So they gonna use the shit just to get by.’

‘Paper Planes’ provides an even more illuminating and powerful example of the two worlds M.I.A. straddles throughout the album. On one side is M.I.A. the artist, at the moment making some of the most immediately catchy and enjoyable pop music anywhere. On the other side is M.I.A. the person, a brown-skinned woman well-versed in the politics of race and poverty, gender and power, the haves and the have-nots. These twin muses and personas, both contradictory and complementary, come crashing into each other on ‘Paper Planes’, providing us with a heartstopping, gorgeously executed masterpiece of a song.

Over a glittering, airy backdrop, M.I.A. turns in an impeccable performance, letting her vulnerabilities slip out for a second and giving us a peek into the cracks in her facade. Where most male rappers are too bulletproof, afraid of appearing vulnerable for a second, most female rappers are the opposite, content to play second fiddle and remain a mere appendage of hip hop, rather than a vital part of it. Thankfully, M.I.A. is the opposite – she’s strong, near invulnerable, a headstrong and eminently talented artist that is at home in her wealth of talent. Her vocals here belie that cocksure image for a split-second though, until it all comes crashing down to earth, with booming gunshots and cash-register jingles. It is probably the most unlikely uplifting anthem you’re going to hear all year. It comes flying out of nowhere and slaps you across the face, and it’s this song that best sums up Kala – where her pop instincts are near flawless and her sense of cadence and rhythm impeccable, M.I.A. won’t let you forget her, and everybody else’s, struggle.

Kala is a masterpiece, cementing M.I.A.’s status as one of the most vital artists working today. She has confidently shaken off any semblance of a sophomore slump, and has not rested on the considerable laurels Arular built for her, instead attacking her new album with considerable ferocity. It’s ambitious in its design and near flawless in its execution, and she has branched out both musically and politically, extending her enviable artistic reach into areas previously unexploited by others. In some ways she’s reminiscent of the The Clash, a legendary group known for their potent combination of politics, pop and rage, a musical and political vanguard in their time. While it’s unlikely she’ll end up reaching the same earth-shaking heights they did – few have, and few ever will – she is certainly off to a blazing start.

M.I.A. then, as she confidently straddles the worlds of pop and politics, perhaps best evokes the oft-quoted words of another feminist, early 20th century anarchist Emma Goldman: “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be in your revolution.”

M.I.A. – Kala

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Loosies

Memphis Bleek – Ayo Technology Freestyle

Busta Rhymes – Just Gettin’ Warm [Prod. By Dr. Dre]

Tony Sunshine – Wonderful Day

Bone_Thugs_N_Harmony_Ft_Swizz_Beatz-Whats_Up [Unreleased]

Fergie Feat. Sean Kingston – Big Girls Don’t Cry (Remix)

Bucky (D-Block) – 5Ft Felon [Prod. by Vinny Idol]

Kardinal Offishall Feat. Lindo P – Badman & Robin

Common – Vato Freestyle [72 Bars]

Drag-On – For the Hood

Max B – Suck This Pistol

Loosies

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