MIA wins Best Female Hip Hop Artist at BET Awards

The BET (Black Entertainment) Awards were featured on news bulletins all across the world last night, with the star studded homage to Michael Jackson and the appearances from Janet and Joe Jackson.

But what you didn't hear is that M.I.A. won the Best Female Hip Hop Artist award on the night. Congrats Maya!

M.I.A. in Time Mag's World's Most Influential People list, meets Oprah, pleads her for help

M.I.A. really is taking over the world.

Time Magazine included her in their Top 100 World's Most Influential People list with a small profile on her written by Spike Jonze




Following the Time Mag's announcement night this appeared on MIA's myspace blog:

LAST NIGHT , I WENT TO THE TIME 100 EVENT COZ THEY ADDED ME TO THE LIST OF 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE OF 2009,

I SAW TAVIS SMILEY WHEN I WALKED IN AND SAID THANKS FOR STICKING YOUR NECK OUT AND BEING A REAL JOURNALIST, HIS PROGRAM WAS THE FIRST PROGRAM TO VOICE THE TRUTH ABOUT WHATS GOING ON IN SRI LANKA, WITHOUT FEAR OF CONSEQUENCES.

THE NEXT PERSON I MET WAS OPRAH!!!!


SHE SAID SHE LIKED MY JACKET FROM THE MAGAZINE (THE ONE MY BROTHER GOT FOR ME FROM THE SIDE OF THE STREET AT SXSW 09) SHE SQUEEEEZED MY HAND SO HARD , I WAS CONVINCED SHE CARED. MICHELLE OBAMA GAVE A SPEECH AND THERE WAS MAD SECRET SERVICE IN THE AIR SO I DIDNT GET TO THROW A PAPER PLANE AT HER SAYING " STOP THE BOMBING OF THE TAMILS IN SRI LANKA"


Sri Lanka government admits bombing civilian safe haven - Times Online

THE TWITTER GUYS SAID THEY FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @ _M_I_A_ ILL TWITTER

SHOUT OUT TO THEM AND STELLA MCCARTNEY, NICE TO MEET A FELLO BRIT IN NYC ASIDE FROM THE GIRLS AT TOP SHOP.

I MET MANY MORE PEOPLE , SOME KNEW ME , SOME DIDNT ....... I WASNT SURE ABOUT MY INFLUENCE BUT........IF I DO HAVE ANY INFLUENCE, I WISH I COULD GET THE MEDIA TO SPOTLIGHT THIS:

THANKX TO BRITISH PRESS WE GET THIS MUCH

Grim scenes at Sri Lankan camps - Channel 4 News

OPRAH CAN YOU DO SOMETHING BOUT THESE CAMPS PLEEEEEEEEEEASE?

M.I.A. to play Coachella

Mama Maya is going to be playing Coachella, according to Coachella's Twitter. It's going to be M.I.A.'s first performance since giving birth to her first son 'Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman' as reported by Pitchfork and TMZ who found the birth docs.

Pitchfork explains the names -

"Edgar" and "Arular" are Ikyd's grandfathers' names. Yes, that would be Edgar Bronfman Jr., the guy who runs Warner Music Group and father of M.I.A.'s fiance Benjamin Bronfman, and Arular Pragasm, M.I.A.'s father, who is a controversial figure in British and Sri Lankan politics.

Maya had some words on her blog for the media types who were already preempting years of incorrect spelling Bronfman Jr is going to no doubt contend with for years to come:

BABY NAME!
MY BABY IS NOT CALLED ICKITT, PICKIT OR LICKIT THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ALL THE HOLLYWOOD PRESS. HES A BABY , HE DONT NEED PRESS!

I DIDNT RELEASE THE BABY NAME BECAUSE I DIDNT THINK IT WAS NEWS!!!!

BUT I WILL BE BACK WITH SOMETHING NEWS WORTHY SOON , TILL THEN GO PICK ON APPLE, SATCHEL AND MOON UNIT.

LOTS OF LOVE STICKIT!!

M.I.A. vs RyeRye

Super Mum Maya aka M.I.A. has turned up on a Rye Rye track 'Bang', which you can check out at Rye Rye's myspace.

M.I.A. has a baby boy

Just a few days after her Grammy performance, M.I.A. gave birth to her first child on February 11th. An ecstatic Maya posted on her myspace:

HAPPY VALENTINES!

SUNDAY NITE I CA M E HOME FROM THE GRAMMY'S STILL IN THE MOOD TO PARTY , I COUDA EASILY GONE OUT BUT I WENT HOME INSEAD , LUCKY I DID!! COZ MY EARLY STAGE LABOUR KICKED IN AROUND 2 AM .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfndz8pW9WY

MY BABY WAS BORN WEDNESDAY , HE IS HEALTHY , FINE , BEAUTIFUL AND THE MOST AMZING THING EVER ON THIS PLANET, OF COURSE IM HIS MUM!!!

ME AND BABY ARE PUTTING OUR TOUR DATES FOR 2010 TOGETHER
AND MAKING MIX TAPES
AND FIGURING OUT A WAY TO BREAK OUT OF THE HOSPITAL !

HOPEFULLY THE WORLD IS BEEN TICKING ALONG AND I AINT MISSED MUCH!

C U SOON ,

AND MY BABY BOY SAYZ HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And here's a pic of the baby, care of The Music Slut.

Radiohead and Adele win Grammys

UK's Adele has won 2 of the 4 Grammys she was nominated for, picking up Best New Artist for her debut album 19 as well as Best Female Pop Performance for Chasing Pavements, which she performed live at the ceremonies. You can hear a radio performance of some of the tracks from the album here.

Chasing Pavements


Radiohead also won 2 awards earning Best Alternative Music Album and Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package for In Rainbows. The band performed the track 15 Step from the album at the awards, backed by the USC marching band.

M.I.A. missed out on Record of the Year for Paper Planes, losing out to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (who?!). And despite her baby being due on the same night, M.I.A. went on to perform Paper Planes to an adoring crowd.

And it wouldn't be a Grammy post without some fashion shots:

M.I.A up for an Oscar

M.I.A. and Indian producer A.R Rahman have received a 'Best Original Score' Academy Award nomination for their collaboration on O... Saya.

The song features on the soundtrack for Danny Boyle's Golden Globe winning film Slumdog Millionaire that is currently taking the world by storm.

Other songs nominated in the category are 'Jai Ho', another Rahman track from Slumdog Millionaire, as well as Peter Gabriel's track 'Down To Earth' which appears on the Pixar animated film WALL-E.

The Slumdog Millionaire sound track is out now through M.I.A's own label N.E.E.T.

M.I.A. - 'Paper Planes' Slumdog Millionaire remix

Slumdog Millionaire Giveaway

M.I.A.'s worldwide smash Paper Planes is set to be the feature track in Slumdog Millionaire, the new film by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later). Thanks to Icon Films, we have 20 double passes to the film up for grabs. All gone. You snooze, you lose. If you weren't contacted, you aren't a weener. Better luck next time.

Slumdog Millionaire Trailer


The soundtrack is a mix of songs from M.I.A and producer/composer A.R. Rahman, whose fusion of Bollywood and hip hop has seen him dubbed as "India's answer to Timbaland", reportedly selling over 100 million records and 200 million cassettes. The opener of the film is a collaboration between the two called O... Saya:


The soundtrack will be released on M.I.A.'S own label N.E.E.T and will include the DFA remix of Paper Planes, which can also be found on the Paper Planes 7" and digital singles.

Slumdog Millionaire is released nationally on December the 18th.

Adele, M.I.A., and Radiohead nominated for Grammys

For her debut album 19, UK's Adele has earned herself 4 Grammy nominations including Best New Artist, with her song Chasing Pavements up for 3 awards (Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance).
Adele - Chasing Pavements [mp3]

Radiohead are up for 7 awards. 3 for album In Rainbows (Album Of The Year, Best Alternative Music Album and Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package), 3 for track House of Cards (Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals, Best Rock Song and Best Short Form Music Video), as well as Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical for Nigel Godrich (Beck, Air, Gnarls Barkley).
House Of Cards


M.I.A. is up against label buddy Adele in the Record Of The Year category for the worldwide smash hit Paper Planes.
M.I.A. - Paper Planes (Afrikan Boy & Rye Rye Remix) [mp3]

New M.I.A. Shells video

OK, so maybe not so much a music video as it is a plug for her latest clothing line.

The video was shot by M.I.A. earlier this year in the Caribbean and features "the real pirate of the Caribbean" Leslie Okley. The woman herself doesn't make an appearance, but there are a couple of dogs getting freaky (and apparently stuck) with each other on the beach.

You can read an interview where M.I.A. talks fashion with Fader here.

Shell features on the expanded edition of Kala, out now.


myspace.com/mia

M.I.A. and Jay-Z Soundclash!

Riding high on the success of Paper Plans, which has blasted out of the underground and in to the US Top 5, M.I.A. is keeping the heat on.



Just in time for the US election she released the digital EP How Many Votes Fix Mix, featuring a remix of Boyz featuring Jay-Z and two unreleased tracks: "Shells" and "Far Far."



M.I.A is also rumoured to be working on her next album, said to be named after the UK government’s scheme for the unemployed, N.E.E.T. (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). Maya is also working with non-profit Youth Action International to rebuild the Becky Primary School in Liberia, assisting in the provision of more classrooms, a computer lab, a new playground, a library, and free tuition for all.



Meanwhile hip-hop artist T.I. has hooked up with rap stars Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne, sampling "Paper Planes" for his own track, "Swagga Like Us."



And if that ain’t enough for the pregnant superstar, M.I.A. has a collaboration of her own, working with Blaqstarr to cover Tom Wait’s “Way Down In The Hole”, the song featured in the opening credits to the smash TV show The Wire. The video is rumoured to have cost a staggering $9.95 to make!

New M.I.A. EP

The "in retirement" rapper has just released a new digital EP entitled How Many Votes Fix Mix with the Jay Z remix of Boyz as the main track, as well as tracks Shells and Far Far that both appear on the bonus disc of the newly released expanded version of Kala.

Shells (Slow) [mp3] (128kbps)



myspace.com/mia

M.I.A's 'Paper Planes' covered by Built To Spill

Recorded live in Rome. You can watch the full performance of Paper Planes here (sound and video quality not as good).

M.I.A. - Paper Planes remix and Pitchfork interview

M.I.A. took time out at the Diesel party last week to chat to Pitchfork about her pregnancy ("I got engaged first. Then I got pregnant, kids."), the accustations of her being a terrorist, her upcoming cover of Tom Waits' 'Way Down in the Hole', the success that came from the appearance of Paper Planes on the Pineapple Express trailer and her not so quiet "retirement".

Part 1


Part 2


Just released is the expanded version of M.I.A's latest album Kala, featuring 6 bonus tracks. Included on the bonus disc is the Paper Planes Afrikan Boy & Rye Rye remix. A protege of M.I.A, Rye Rye is an American rapper and the first signee to M.I.A.'s new music label N.E.E.T.

Paper Planes (Afrikan Boy & Rye Rye Remix) [mp3]




myspace.com/mia

M.I.A. is pregnant!

We were all shocked when we heard M.I.A. had played her "last show ever" in June this year. And now we know why. M.I.A. (real name Maya Arulpragasam) is pregnant to fiance Ben Brewer, guitarist of rock group The Exit. The heavily pregnant rapper sported her bulging belly at a Diesel party, where she shared the stage with Franz Ferdinand, N.E.R.D. and Hot Chip. More pics over at Brooklyn Vegan.

In other M.I.A. news, Jay-Z has recorded a new remix of Boyz [mp3] (128kbps):
Jay-Z, Boyz (Remix) ft. Jay-Z


Wale has also done a version of Boyz. You can download both tracks over at Fader.

Her latest album Kala will soon be re-issued with a bonus disc featuring 6 new tracks:

1. Paper Planes (Afrikan Boy & Rye Rye Remix)
2. Shells
3. Far Far
4. Big Branch
5. What I Got
6. Sound Of Kuduro (Buraka Som Sistema ft. M.I.A.)

You can listen to the Afrikan Boy & Rye Rye remix of Paper Planes at myspace.com/mia

Dizzee Rascal, Adele and M.I.A. up for MOBO Awards

Winner of the 2007 MOBO (Music Of Black Origin) Award for Best UK Male, Dizzee Rascal, has once again been nominated for the award, which aims to acknowledge and celebrate the whole spectrum of ‘black music’.

Up for contention in the female category is singer/rapper M.I.A. for her album Kala, which features the single Paper Planes that is getting massive airplay around the world, recently peaking at number 5 on the US Billboard charts!
Nominated alongside M.I.A. is Adele for her soulful debut album 19, whose tracks have featured on new episodes of America's So You Think You Can Dance? and 90210.
The 2007 award for Best UK Female was won by Amy Winehouse.

Winners are announced October 15th.

M.I.A. - Paper Planes [mp3]
www.myspace.com/mia


Adele - Hometown Glory [mp3]
www.myspace.com/adelelondon


Dizzee Rascal - Flex

Dizzee Rascal will be touring Australia this September/October. His latest album Maths + English is out now.
Fri 26 Sep – Melbourne, Corner Hotel
Sat 27 Sep – Adelaide Parklife Festival
Sun 28 Sep – Melbourne Parklife Festival
Mon 29 Sep - Perth Parklife Festival
Wed 1 Oct – Sydney, Metro
Sat 4 Oct – Brisbane Parklife Festival
Sun 5 Oct - Sydney Parklife Festival

www.myspace.com/dizzeerascal