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June 16, 2008

M.I.A.: Bonnaroo 'my last gig ever'

New York Times | Read Full Story >

NYT:

With performers on six main stages and various smaller ones, dozens of individual band tales converge at Bonnaroo. M.I.A., the Sri Lankan rapper now based in Brooklyn, has canceled her summer tour, but she tore into her seismic beats and revolution-touting hooks here, in what she declared was her “last gig ever.” (Pop retirements are rarely permanent.)


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Previous comments include

#1 Diplo says:

Yaaaaawwwwwnnnnnnn....
You are so boring & I am so tired. Let's get some coffee.

#2 thelink says:

way to live up to your name m.i.a.

#3 JMG says:

As long as she keeps making good albums, fine. I didn't dig her much live anyway.

#4 now i can sleep says:

good. shama-ling-bing-clickity-clickaty-bing-bong-bup.

that garbage just gave me a assache anyway - worst excuse for music ever. now the boys and gals from bitchfork are going to have to find some other no talent, polyester wearing "johnny or janey onenote" to suck up to.

#5 haha. says:

sure

#6 Quartz says:

I think MIA might be in the middle of some epic breakdown, what with the marrying billionaires and building schools in Africa and retirement nonsense. Pretty soon she'll be running naked through the streets of Bed-Stuy, covered in neon body paint.

#7 Lesh says:

Gotta say she stepped it up for the Bonnaroo show. Kinda killed it.

#8 Jordan Catalano says:

All of these haters are the some folks that are quick to co-sign for some "indie" crapola like Cat Power/Lily Allen/Avril effing Lavigne/Duffy, but when a brown girl does her own thing, fools gotta hate. She's done nothing to get yr bloomers in a twist. Oh, other than be AWESOME. Deal.

#9 thelink says:

yeah, why cant we get step by step britney spears style paparazzi following this chick? she's fun for sure.

#10 JAHWA!!!! says:

WOW, THAT'S A DAMN SHAME! I SAW HER @ COACHELLA, VEGOOSE & HERE IN SAN FRANCISCO AND SHE WAS PRETTY LIVE IN CONCERT... OH WELL, NOW THE REST OF YOU CAN START HATING ON SOMEONE NEW AND KEEP DOWNLOADING HER BEATS FROM LIMEWIRE OR SOME OTHER TORRENT SITE!!!! FUCKIN' TWO FACES!!!!

#11 2RealEstateMidgets says:

"When a brown girl does her own thing, fools gotta hate."

Crappy music knows no color, sucka. M.I.A. fucking sux and sux hard in any language, creed or culture.

#12 Quincy Jones says:

A turd that's marketed as music is still a turd....color is irrelevant.

#13 oh says:

look, it's the daily swarm readers!

let's hate popular things

#14 responding to "oh": says:

actually that's not it at all. We like popular things. M.I.A. makes great albums, she just sucks live. Hence, her "retiring" the live show doesn't matter that much.

#15 Duke Mushroom says:

Gotta say, there's a whole lotta hating going on that is not at all intelligent or specific to WHY the hate.

Listen, the hardest thing about being an Artist is allowing yourself to be exposed to the world for who you are (No easy task) rather than something that is manufactured aka Smoke and Mirrors. And that exposure can take a seriously hard leap of faith to take when you've got people more ready to hate than to think.

MIA has brought one of the most True, specific and unique artistic expressions to come out in a long time -Like it or not. Sure, like everything, her music has it's obvious musical references but name one person (That's not copying her) that sounds anything remotely like her.? She's created her own style, and you can dis-like that, but you can't hate on her success due to that fact.

Also, she has done more for the exposure of "World Music" with her song, "Bird Flu", than many a World Musician could ever hope to accomplish. For that track alone, I got her back.

And come on.. The Production and Beats on any of her records!!! Innovative as F*#@.

#16 2RealEstateMidgets says:

"Also, she has done more for the exposure of "World Music" with her song, "Bird Flu", than many a World Musician could ever hope to accomplish."

Please hook the turbine up to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's body when you leave, the city of Cleveland needs their electricity.

#17 M.I.A. says:

sticks and stones and weed and bombs

All I wanna do is (BANG BANG BANG BANG!)
And (KKKAAAA CHING!)
And take your money

#18 Bilbo says:

Good - get back in the kitchen!

#19 hush says:

yeah i guess brown people just can't get a shot in music. come on! why you gotta bring race into it homie? not everyone has to do with that.

#20 jordan catalano says:

Now THIS is classic. First Mr Real Estate Midget person says music "knows no color," and then Hush gets all weepy because I "brought race into it."

Um, people? This is America. Everything is about race. Maybe you missed Hilary Clinton make a desperate appeal to "white people!" as her candidacy was going down?

Bottom line, there would be an overall different opinion on M.I.A. if she was not of color and making people nervous with her political history.

And her live show is just fine. The idea is to create a PARTY as opposed to just gawking at people on a stage.

But whatever, go moan yourself to sleep with the latest National record, I've gotta go back to obsessing over the six or so brilliant songs on the new Lil Wayne CD. Too bad most of it is such CRAP.

Good morning!

#21 2RealEstateMidgets says:

"Um, people? This is America. Everything is about race. Maybe you missed Hilary Clinton make a desperate appeal to "white people!" as her candidacy was going down? Bottom line, there would be an overall different opinion on M.I.A. if she was not of color and making people nervous with her political history."

Okay, fine: this brown woman makes music that has no hooks, no appeal beyond leftist prurience and no singles. To bring up her "political history" only solidifies the fact that she has no musical appeal and needs to fall back on irrelevant nonsense like politics to make anyone care.

It's the music, stupid. The National sucks, Lil Wayne sucks and so does M.I.A. - in any time, venue OR color.

#22 Blah Blah Blah! says:

She's a marketing dream! Creating a colorful picture in a very well connected world!

But, don't confuse her with politics! Her music is not in anyway political. Unless you think 'salt & pepper my mangoes' is poltical! you really haven't been outside america.

M.I.A is a very well connected gurl and what she has done is use her resources efficiently. Her talent lies in the simple fact that she was at the right place, right time to create something out of nothing! Wrapped it up and bang 'Hype'! Individuality is now the new mainstream. You are not original but a product of a waste generation! All about mass appeal 'what I can make you think I'am'!

These days it's not the content that really matters but rather sensationalising a niche. You just have to smart about it! Orchestrate a supposely 'uber cool' concept called bullshite and bam you got a room sold! Also, it does help being absolutely beautiful too as well.

To be quite honest she's given opportunity to put other talents on a larger platform. And, in some ways even it's a fake picture she has probally ripped a few shreds of what the UK is really about!

I give her credit! shes making paper!

#23 Tony says:

M.I.A has changed my life sence i've starting to lister om her great beats,lyrics and everything! i really don't know what i'm gonna do if she don't keep working on her onw awsome music! ^^(


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