M.I.A. Entertainment Art "Kala" (Interscope) Released August 20, 2007

But that doesn’t mean Hip-Hop is without problems. Once Upon a Time Hip-Hop was an urban CNN. But now it’s a showcase for individuals to grab a mic and brag about their bling-bling and women. It’s become the most Homogenized genre in the entire pop landscape with little or no room for pushing the boundaries of what Hip-Hop can really be.

Enter M.I.A.

The Sri-Lankan born rapper and Singer has followed up her critically acclaimed debut album Arular with a sophomore release that is reminiscent of the great Hip-Hop records of the late 1980’s. Kala, named after the singer’s mother is a whirlwind of worldly sounds that at first might seem a bit weird to an ear that is used to conventional pop. But after another listen you automatically find yourself not just hooked by the music but discover a world that you never bothered to pay attention to. I Put people on the map that never seen a map/I show ‘em something’ they ain’t never seen/And Hope they make it back!!! she sings on the track “20 dollar.”

According to Miss Teen South Carolina the reason why Americans can’t point out the United States on a map is because Americans don’t have maps in the home. Why need a map to point out the good old U.S.A. or any other country in the world when you can listen to M.I.A. give a sonic geography lesson. She accumulates sounds from different genres and continents until it transforms into one big, beautiful mess. Her lyrics tell stories of people struggling to earn a decent dollar to help their family and friends (“Hussel”) to scandalous men (“Birdflu”) to creating bogus passports (“Paper Planes”) and the importance of 20 dollars to an individual (“20 dollar”)

At times M.I.A. comes across as weary and sarcastic but in the end she appears to be defiant. The 30-year-old singer born Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam is known to stir the pot of controversy with lyrics that give shout outs to the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization). But the debate and censorship that surrounds her work doesn’t deter her from being an ambassador to the third world. If anything, the plight of third world citizens gives her ample ammunition to be as creative as possible. Which in turn, makes manufactured pop divas like Amy Winehouse and Britney Spears look and sound like immature pop divas who are relegated to the bottom of Pop music’s scrap heap.

But the end result of Kala is an artist at the top of her game, completely satisfied with crafting a new sound for this generation.

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