The headlines this summer were dominated by news of heat waves and scandalous celebrities. Unlike most of the actors and singers who are now infamous, Sri Lankan musician M.I.A. has talent that helps overshadow the controversy surrounding her.
Daughter of a militant member of the Tamil Tigers, M.I.A. fled Sri Lanka and moved to London. Her experiences growing up in England and witnessing the civil war in her one-time homeland were the main themes of her critically acclaimed first album. On her latest effort, Kala, M.I.A. addresses these themes once again, but instead of falling in the sophomore slump, M.I.A. adds a new twist to her original sound.
At first the departure seems disconcerting, but as the album continues, the new direction evolves into a cohesive combination of her trademark witty lyrics and amazing beats with a different perspective. M.I.A.'s hip-hop sound gets a Bollywood makeover on standout song "Jimmy." It's a cover of "Jimmy Jimmy Aaja" from the Bollywood film Disco Dancer and it exemplifies M.I.A.'s growth as an artist.
This new musical style is not without controversial content. "Jimmy" begins "when you go Rwanda Congo / Take me on ya genocide tour / Take me on a truck to Darfur / Take me where you would go." This is just one of the many instances in which politics and war are mentioned in her lyrics. Her political messages and party-friendly beats make for an interesting dichotomy.
Besides possessing a certain amount of infamy like the previously mentioned celebrities, M.I.A. has something else in common with virtually every hit artist of the year: She worked with Timbaland. While his success as a producer is undeniable, for some reason his collaboration on Kala seemed strange. M.I.A.'s generally underground vibe is usually at odds with the more commercial stylings of Timbaland, but the tracks he worked on don't feel forced. Fans who would prefer M.I.A. to remain a little under the radar shouldn't worry; her work with the famed producer will doubtfully turn M.I.A. into the new Nelly Furtado. This is most evident not on the songs on which they collaborated, but rather with songs such as "Paper Planes." The track features gun shots in the chorus that are prefaced by "all I wanna do" and followed by "and take your money."
Violence, though a common factor in hip-hop, adds to the controversial nature of M.I.A.'s work. It is interesting that despite her rap forbearers like N.W.A. and Ice-T, M.I.A.'s particular use and discussion of violence feels more threatening than gangsta rap ever did. Perhaps this is because her songs talk about it on a global scale while we become anesthetized to the gang wars in America. Despite her inability to reconcile some lyrics to personal political beliefs, M.I.A.'s music becomes more compelling than inflammatory.
While overall Kala is an excellent effort, the album is not without fault. An artist's goal when creating a new album is to put forth something new and interesting while keeping a signature sound. M.I.A. succeeds in incorporating new dimensions to her music, but there are times on the album that seem inauthentic, as if she is overreaching in her attempt to change things up. Furthermore, the album lacks some of the fun and lyrical mastery of Arular. The missteps in Kala, however, do not outweigh the value of the album. M.I.A. does what so few commercial rappers do today by incorporating political and social content into her music; despite the controversy, M.I.A.'s talent is irrefutable.
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