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URB Artist of the Year- – Mathangi |
Its been awhile since we have had an MIA post, and since I know most of you have been waiting with baited breath, here goes. URB Magazine contributor Scott Sterling informed us late last month that mutinous MIA, aka Mathangi ‘Maya’ Arulpragasam has been named URB magazine’s artist of the year. I am not really surprised, are you? No, it isn’t that she is desi, I just can’t think of one other artist that has been as innovative and influential this year. MIA’s music has been everywhere, from SXSW and Central Park to a Honda commercial and the O.C., and her influence is easily seen in the resurgence of electro-pop in the mainstream: drum machines and synthetic beats all intertwined with elements of various international flavors and hip-hop. Its not that hip-hop his dead, but it is almost as if MIA has added to this new genre of post Hip-Hop. Music with a message, but with danceable, stranger, hip-hop like beats . This sound has been kickinng around the indy hipster scene for awhile–look at bands like Supersystem on Touch and Go, and LCD Soundsystem. This trend seems to now be making its way slowly towards the mainstream. One of the first indicators, Madonna’s latest release, Confessions on a Dance Floor. Scott has promised us he would be posting the full cover story soon. You can of course find more SM on MIA here, and my first post on her here.
This, by the way, wasn’t all we got out of Scott. He gave us the scoop on how DJ Quik found the sample of Kaliyon Ka Chaman, for the first big hip hop record featuring a desi sample. Yeah, I am talking about Truth Hurts featuring Rakim’s–Addictive [click here for a sample] from 2002.
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Now I had heard the beginning, that DJ Quik was watching tv, and all of a sudden he found himself watching Zee TV and heard this rhythm and had to tape it. Anyway, here is DJ Quik’s take on it (from the forthcoming URB article)
“Some Indian people are still mad at me for that song, because they thought that it bastardized their culture. I’ve had Pakistani people interview me that are so standoffish it’s almost disrespectful. They are authentically pissed off about that record. I was watching this Bollywood channel that popped up on our cable service called Zee TV and I saw some dope shit going on. I recorded it onto my VCR, dubbed it down to a mini disc, put it into a drum machine and (BT Express’) “Do It ‘Til You’re Satisfied” just went right through it –they both had that Panjabi rhythm. I put it on tape and gave the track to Dre. He thought it was some innovative shit and had Truth do her vocals and mixed it. So who was the real producer? I wasn’t even in the studio when Dre produced the song. He didn’t have to throw me a bone and give me full production credit, but he did. It started a little trend. I heard Tim doing it, Erick Sermon. Even the people that sued us had to admit the shit was hot.”
First things first, what is DJ Quik doing subscribing to Zee TV? Not that non-South Asians shouldn’t watch desi channels, but I thought the only way you can get Zee is by subscribing to it off of the Dish Network. I wonder if he is down with Bollywood. I bet he is down with TMBWITW. Secondly, if Dr. Dre was going to be so generous and give Quik a production credit, why not throw Bappi Lahiri a bone and give him some credit as well. And lastly, I don’t know that people are mad that Quik and Dre took the beat, because, I have to admit, it was hot, but I do know there are some out there who are angry that they let Truth sing on the track. Her vocals ruined it. Ouch, my ears just started to hurt, thinking about the end of Addictive, you know the part where she tries to do that Qawwali type thing, trying to match Lata’s range. Truth is, Truth Hurts is just never going to come out a winner against Lata Mangeshkar.
And in the last bit of desi music news, New York’s Finest, Jay Dabhi, (yeah, formerly known as Lil Jay), his remix of Hisham Abbas’ “Nari Narien” will be featured in Xbox’s Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 3 video game by Konami.
very exciting!!!
Who are the Desi people that were pissed off with that track for bastardising their culture – thats BS – Desi’s loved that track and they regularly bastardise their music because they love it – bhangra, hip-hop, remix, the works. If some half wit Pakistani journalist interviews him all stand offish it doesnt mean shit. Bring on the mongrel music! Kray Twins to Panjabi MC, desi’s are doing it big time.
Truth is, Truth Hurts never had another single, nevermind a hit…
She apparently will be doing a track for the Kray Twinz forthcoming album, Indian Summer. Maybe she will redeem herself. Probably not.
Kray Twinz and Truth
I love me some MIA and think she deserves the title…but the above quote is bit expansive, I mean, the changes you are talking about were happening pre-MIA. With people like Peaches and Princess Superstar, ladies with jagged electro beats, synths, rock voices, and rap rhymes. MIA is a delicious off-shoot of the Brit grime scene, mixed with some crazy eletro-synth skills, but the influence of strangely chopped and forcefully delivered drum beats on the indie scene is hardly her contribution.
stands up and waits for the chappals
Do you like Peaches and Princess Superstar? And aren’t they Canadian and American, respectively? I know they came first, but in my subjective opinion, I favour the beats of MIA…. I see what you mean, though. No chappals.
Neha said…
No chappals Neha, I agree with you, and thought I said that in the post. The electro/grime/synth/post-Hip Hop thing has been going on for awhile both in the UK and the US. It definitely predates MIA. My contention was not that she created this trend in the indy scene (in fact I wrote a bit later in the paragraph that this trend has been kicking around the indy scene for awhile), but that her appearance on the mainstream has had a greater influence on it than say Peaches and Princess Superstar and the others.
after dizzee rascal there was m.i.a. after m.i.a. there was lady sovereign
peace
I see what you’re saying, Sajit, and I don’t deny that MIA has what it takes to influence. I just can’t see it just yet, you know, it seems a little early to say that her style is having an affect on other people’s production. I’m probably thinking that because I much preferred PFT to Arular and that collabarative effort seemed to be what clinched her the limelight.
Nevertheless, I’m terribly excited to see what she has in store and this time next year I’m sure I will be able to spot her influence without be such a genre-snob about it, heh.
Angie, yessum, I’m a big fan of those two. The best part about the Peaches, P.S., and MIA triad is that they’ve all influenced or collabarated with one or the other or both in the past. That whole scene beats the pants off any superficial, glossy notions of ‘girl power’/’independent women’ that seem to be highly popular in these times.
Ayyyyyyy! I’m going to see Sovereign on Dec. 3rd, if anyone’s interested, she’s playing in Toronto at Revival.
Siddhartha, you’re kidding, right? I’m proud to say I was one of the first to compare MIA to Dizzee, but Lady Sovereign isn’t in the same category at all.
She’s watered-down teeny bopper pop. Having said that, I think she’s cool – I used to wear hoodies when I was a teenage troublemaker so I’m for anyone defending them! But the gloss on Hoodie (her only record of notable success) comes from the fact that Basement Jaxx produced it. Hmm maybe that’s what you meant about after Dizzee and MIA came Lady Sovereign, cos BJ worked with both of them. The Streets also worked with Dizzee and Sovereign.
She started off reppin Hackney, but as she’s young (a very young looking 18) I think she’s now too far down the pop road to go back.
With her looks and image, Sovereign’s fanbase will be young chavettes whose lives revolve around novelty ringtones and teenage pregnancy. She’s only a nipper, I’m not criticising her at all. Just saying that while MIA’s grown up, Sovereign’s a kiddie.
Although – just for you Neha – I hear she is supposed to be superb live.
I am prepared to be proved wrong about her!
Compared to Dizzee and MIA, yes. Compared to the Simpson sisters…need I say the rest?
The Lady is a young ‘un, true, but that’s what I appreciate about her. That and the fact she’s wearing tracksuits instead of big hair and stilettos. Plus, she is actually talented, just needs to stop with the sucre and get back to being a rough hoodrat.
While Vertically Challanged pretty much blows, Random is still a killer tune that I have played to death and will only listen to again when it is live, then I will put it to rest for a few decades.
Hay!!!! Who am I kidding? Time to go polish my fake gold sovvies. 🙂
bb,
not kidding per se. i wanted to put her name out there to see what folks think.
personally i don’t have a fully formed opinion yet. i think vertically challenged, being an ep, isn’t much to judge from. i think the chavette thing is going on (i love your characterization btw), but that’s not necessarily something you can blame her for. and i think i agree with neha’s comments.
anyway, enough fence-sitting. i’m going to see her perform on the 28th and will let you know what i think of it.
and yeah, she’s crazy young.
peace
Yea, if we can now just get her to stop dancing, then she will be really great.
This is great and all for M.I.A. but I swear to God most of the average desi people dont even listen to her music. Why does everybody on this site seem to make it like shes the biggest representative of something “desi”?. I mean if you were to pump “Galang Galang” or whatever in Jackson Heights youd get something thrown at your whip. I just think people are hyped that someone who looks like she could be your cousin is on the cover of Urb.Foolishness.
Two mistakes in the first sentence? For a year I was impressed with how well-written this blog was, so I’m surprised at the extreme sloppiness above. I found myself distracted by this post’s lack of editing, which is a shame since the subject matter interests me. Also, Neha, you shouldn’t have given in so easily, you were right. MIA is excellent but she’s no influence. That’s not a ding against her, but the writer who said it. Not your best work, Sajit.
I wasn’t about to pick a fight with someone who was agreeing with me in principle:
Peaches was a massive influence on MIA but MIA turned out to be a bigger player in the mainstream than Peaches ever was. MIA is Peaches without the potty-mouth and hairy armpits. People are way more likely to accept the former into mainstream media than the latter. Peaches/Princess S paved the road for quality, MIA might just turn that road into a whole damn highway and give us quantity.
Pharrell’s new Can I have it like that? (the one with Gwen) sounds a lot like Pull up the People.
MIA’s already been confirmed to work with Timbaland, btw, for her next joint and also possibly Pharrell too.
The thing about Dizzie Rascal and Lady S is that I think they are both much superior MCs in the pure sense to MIA but there’s just something more accessible while being something really different about her too. There’s def. this “something else” quality about her.
Also, I totally dig DR and LS as MCs but cant stand the grime sound. Have them flowing over more hip hoppy type beats like Fix Up, Look Sharp or Random and Im all over it.
MIA = quantity Princess Superstar = quality What?
I agree with FTM, MIA is kind of an entity all her own (but her desi background is def part of that).
…oh, btw, as far as MIA being URB’s Artist of the Year, dam, right, in my eyes.
Love/hate her? When was the last time any artist brought the noise (in all the many ways she did) in such a new and kick ass form like she has?
I would even argue that the way she brought it is unprecedented…