This track is more reminiscent of M.I.A.’s earlier work, and while it isn’t bad, it’s not as revolutionary as the rest of the album, and “Lights” feels out of place. of Kala’s hyperkinetic standout "Bird Flu". ; in fact, it seems like she’s built her career on her status as an underdog. YALA cocks a snook at Drake‘s YOLO philosophy (“if you only live once, why we keep doing the same shit”) and pleasingly rhymes Singapore with Julianne Moore, while The Weeknd pops up on the gorgeously lush Exodus. _g1.setAttribute('srcset', _g1.getAttribute('data-srcset')); You know, what people in the world actually look like. knotty, occasionally brilliant, somewhat exhausted, definitely has it’s highs, but if M.I.A. March 27, 2020, 11:09 pm, by On Matangi, her tank’s full. realizes it’s not about finding something that hasn’t already been done, but instead using her wisdom and role in pop culture to spread her message to new people, and the digital age makes this easier than ever. } That’s Matangi in a nutshell. _g1.setAttribute('srcset', _g1.getAttribute('data-srcset')); Of the tracks on Matangi, “Y.A.L.A.” (You Always Live Again) is the best; it is a perfect mixture of M.I.A.’s amazing, party/rave influences and manages to incorporate her spiritual outlook as well. released a full, unedited version of the “Boom Skit”, featuring a voicemail about the NFL lawsuit and an extra verse. France, No. MAYA, the cluttered 2009 predecessor, jarred with its crude slice-and-dice and copy-and-paste. The track has since been pulled from her Soundcloud. You know, what music in the world actually sounds like. In the decade since, Numero has earned Grammy nominations, has had its music as the crux of a Ryan Gosling romance, and has released dozens of LPs in its popular Eccentric Soul series. May 30, 2019, 11:39 am, by “Ain’t Dalai Lama / Ain’t Sai Baba / My words are my armor and you’re ’bout to meet your karma.” Matangi is going to go in hard, even if it’s more on a metaphysical, introspective level than her past works. In light of the N.S.A. Matangi sees M.I.A. Matangi definitely has it’s highs, but if M.I.A. 2013’s Matangi is M.I.A. The provacative star's fourth album is her most assured yet—and the Pacific Rim of pop music, Pacific Rim underlined an important message for Hollywood: The American market is an afterthought. Read more », Release date: November 5, 2013  |  Download on iTunes  |  Download on AmazonAs a general rule, rap sequels aren’t sequels at all—they’re lazily conceived marketing ploys that fall into one of two categories: pathetic attempts to relive past glories or successful attempts to relive past glories. The result is an album with more ideas crammed into it than most other releases this year put together. In fact, comments left on the video to this day continue to reference other areas of entertainment like movies and television shows that have featured “Bad Girls” and drawn viewers into the track over four years after its release. June 2, 2014. The big development here is how homogeneous it all sounds now. On “Only 1 U” M.I.A. Which isn’t to say Matangi is a smooth ride. aTENTion was apparently written with the unlikely help of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, and attempts to list every word which rhymes with ‘tent’, which results in unwieldy lines such as “My existence is militant cause my content bangs like its potent, Distant to the pollutant, never hesitant, always consistent”. Review Summary: M.I.A. Matangi, the provacative cult star's fourth and most assured album, blends hip-hop, reggae, bhangra, gaana, dubstep, sha'abi, Arab pop, R&B, moombahton, Goa trance, trap, zef and good old Yankee stripper fuel. Buy it now on iTunes and Amazon. seemingly needs haters for fuel. puts together some longer, disinterested verses (“Take a trip to Singapore / I need to earn like / I’m Julianne Moore” is not her finest moment) with a wheezing, parabolic flow that ping-pongs between honking digital horns and artillery drums.