M.I.A.’s Out for Blood With New Track
Whew. Sri Lankan hip-hop princess M.I.A. has been gone for so long we began to worry. The glamorous, politically conscious, icon-in-training released her debut album,
Arular, to clamorous acclaim in March of 2005 but since then, nothing. It’s been hard. We have suffered, wondering if we’d lost her for good to the grimy dance halls of Tamil Nadu or Trinidad and Tobago where she was rumored to be recording her new album. But today M.I.A. has put all our concerns to rest via her new track “Bird Flu.”
The song is available on M.I.A.’s
Myspace page, as is
the video, which was
apparently filmed in a fishing village on India’s south coast. Like “Rhythm Nation” in the jungle, “Bird Flu” sounds confident and defiant, while the video’s amalgamation of village life and impromptu, totally original dance sequences perfectly suits this tense, tribal romp. When asked why she chose “Bird Flu” as the song’s title, M.I.A. has responded, “Because this beat gon kill everyone!” We’re feeling blissfully slain already.