20. Solitude (2023)
In contrast to her first high-profile mixtape (2004's Pirate Fund Terrorism), 2023's Bells Collection went largely unnoticed. To say that its lo-fi, Christian-themed content divided fans would be an understatement. Solitude's muddy synth arpeggio The introspective mood was enough to get past some of the clumsy lyrics (like “Once upon a time there were gurus, but now it's Google”).
19. Pull Up the People (2005)
Tough, funky, minimal – there's almost nothing here but a beat and a bassline – Pull Up the People just makes you want to dance. Grime producer D'Explicit's remix roots the song more in the contemporary London scene, but it's the original version that shows how singular MIA and producer Switch's vision was. is.
18. Hassell (2007)
Kala may be MIA's best album, but its consistency is such that even the under-appreciated songs are great, giving us honed synthesizers and Hassell's spoken vocals. are. The moment she handed over the mic to Nigerian-born, London-based grime rapper African Boy, his voice broke and looped. Come to Africa! ” – 17 years later, I’m still so excited.
17.China Girl/10 Dollars (2004/2005)
This track was born on Pirate Fund Terrorism, interpolating a riff from Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams. By the time it was finally retitled and included on Arular, the song had taken a darker turn. The song's subject matter was more clearly depicted as a sexually abused child. Although there are no Eurythmics samples, the music is raw and very danceable.
16. Time Traveler (2022)
With Mata's release, the more explicit views of the pro-Trump, anti-vaxxer MIA appeared to literally begin to sell. $100 5G Blocking “Tinfoil Hat” on her website – which may have influenced her popularity. Indeed, the album's commercial failure was not necessarily explained by its content. Produced by Farrell, Time Traveler was minimalist yet surprisingly intense.
15. Tell Me Why (2010)
Great deep cut from Maya. A sample of sacred harp singing (a particularly powerful brand of a cappella choral music popular in the Deep South) floats over a monstrous, militaristic beat, warping until it throws in an ultra-catchy beat. The chorus is notable for its absence elsewhere on the album.
14. Borders (2016)
Borders was apparently written in two hours – although keen observers might say that's obvious from the lyrics, which deal with the refugee crisis in fairly simple terms (“Borders! What's up?”). ), but you can't knock the catchy song. The melody, and more specifically, the slow beat that propels it forward.
13.XR2 (2007)
A gloriously hilarious ode to London's 90s hardcore rave scene – Bagleys, World Dance and Labyrinth are all mentioned, as is the era's deadly teen booze Mad Dog 20/20, which explodes like an airhorn It is appropriately staged with sounds and electronic noises. It's a bit like the radio interference you get when trying to tune into a pirate station.
12. Sunshowers (2004)
The chorus of Sunshowers is borrowed extensively from August Darnell's great 1976 song by swing/disco titans Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, and it sounds somewhere between dancehall and dancehall. Driven by the beat, it's used as an explosion of charming melodies in a track that's both playful and tough. A broken video game.
11. Matangi (2013)
MIA seems to be in trouble with Matangi, calling out unnamed “look-alikes, copycats, doppelgängers, imposters” and taking jabs at Drake for reasons that aren't entirely clear. If that sounds like you, the track itself translates anger into a powerful, raucous energy, her vocals riding a beat with a distinct hint of glam stomp in its makeup.
10. Jimmy (2007)
Based on Pavarti Khan's 'Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja', Jimmy intensifies the pulse of the four-four, the slightly ska-like rhythm of a Bollywood disco anthem, and a sickening desire for a war correspondent. It combines lyrics that make you feel like you are there. Put it on a truck to Darfur. ”
9. Born Free (2010)
As if to underline her lack of interest in chasing the commercial success she found with Paper Planes, the lead single from MIA's next album was distorted and muffled, akin to Suicide's Ghost. It was based on Rider's enthusiastic sample, and boasted vocals that sounded like they were singing anything. It was a little out of tune. It's still viscerally thrilling.
8.Boys (2007)
Partly recorded in Trinidad and India, 'Boys' is steeped in local influences of soca and Tamil-Ghana – some of its rhythms are driven by Urmi's drums – but with a global feel. No effort has been made to adopt a unique sound. As its lyrics describe, it feels like you're in the middle of a chaotic “mashup and haze” party. It's a joy.
7.XXX (2010)
A rare pop-faced moment in Maya's aural minefield, XXXO is a blast of chatty electronics and R&B vocals, with a big old hook thrown in. The lyrics interestingly temper their sharp entrance. “I can be that actress, you can be Tarantino” – with the implication that the relationship is doomed: “You want me to be someone I’m not really.”
6. Bamboo Banga (2007)
“Bamboo Banga” opens with a blast of Modern Lovers’ punk original Roadrunner, whose lyrics about driving around the Boston suburbs are recontextualized to reflect Cara’s global musical journey . “Ghana, India, Sri Lanka, Burma…I'm a runner of the world.” The track is a thrilling ride in itself, propulsive, wild but packed with ideas.
5. Bucky Dan Gun (2005)
A fun shock brought to you by Pirate Fund Terrorism and the miniature version of their debut album “Arural”. The music is equal parts virile funk and electro, with hints of the Rocky soundtrack as well. The voice is very London, and the lyrics meditate on both hip-hop obsessions. He carries a gun and says something more carnal: “You really can do it.”
4. Come Around (2007)
Kala ended with Come Around's triumphant collaboration with Timbaland, a perfect match given the growing global musical influence of his beats at the time. Ta. From its Indian percussion-heavy rhythms to its elaborate electronic coda, Come Around is so great that it even allows for Timbaland's lyrics (rapping wasn't his main skill).
3. Galant (2003)
MIA's debut single had a strange history. Co-written by Justin Frischmann, it was originally intended for Elastica (!), but it became a dancehall, jungle, electro, and cannabis-fueled collection before Frischmann encouraged MIA to complete it himself. I could hear the accumulation of London street reportage. It was incredibly shocking when it was released. That's still the case today.
2. Bad Girls (2012)
Due to the media storm that engulfed MIA in the wake of Maya's release, the first single from its successor (originally released in an abbreviated form on her 2010 mixtape Vicki Leekx) was released in the Middle East. and a defiant comeback that embraced the sounds of India, with a melody and unmistakable chorus that seemed like a super cool pop track.
1. Paper Airplane (2007)
Paper Planes is not only MIA's biggest track, but it also combines all the different elements of her practice: provocative lyrical politics, pop cleverness, nonchalant rapping, and borrowing from Magpie music. This is the moment when it had the most impressive effect. The Clash's “Straight to Hell” sample is spot-on (it's a song about immigrants with a global worldview, after all) and beautifully developed. The chorus is really great and that trio of sound effects is a great hook. The extended Diplo remix with guest verses from Bun B and Rich Boy is probably the pick of the various versions available, but DFA's chugging remix is also worth checking out.
