If you’ve been following the controversy after M.I.A.’s video for “Born Free” and the interviews that followed then you know things are really heating up.

There were accusations that the U.K. artist was making strong statements in the ultra-violent “Born Free” video that she didn’t know the point of. Or that she was just looking to move units with controversy and a politics/war gimmick.

Her recent interview with New York Times Magazine writer Lynn Hirschberg _[1] M.I.A. is supposedly outed as a “truffle-flavored french fry” eater. _[2] I think I’ve been called worse, but Hirschberg said all that to say M.I.A. is decadent, not in touch with the part of humanity that peppers her music and not the “outsider” she claims to be.

It’s a long interview too. Not interested in reading it? Here are the cliff notes at nymag.com

I’m sure M.I.A. has been called worse too, but she retaliated against the writer’s portrayal of her on twitter, of course, by tweeting the writer’s phone number. Thousands of the artist’s followers called, most probably got a voicemail filled to capacity. Furious tweets from the artist followed along with one claiming an unedited version of the interview will be released Memorial Day weekend. What was released was this new single “I Am A Singer”.

M.I.A. ditched the retro punk feel of “Born Free” in favor of a slowed down version of the electronic jungle beats of her past albums. “Lies equals power equals politics” she snarls and “You’re a racist/ I wouldn’t trust you one bit” in between a hook that ironically doesn’t sound like she’s singing.

Once again I think M.I.A. gives us something to look at here. Why do the calculations of her previous interview punching bag, Lady Gaga, get her hailed as a genius while M.I.A. gets called out as a fraud?

It’s true Lady Gaga doesn’t assert herself as some type of representative of the so called third world but maybe that’s cause she’s so busy pushing products and wearing the avant garde designs of designers that seem more creative than she is.

Much of the world is female and brown outside the US, which is the opposite of the power structure in this country. Given this country’s lack of a relationship with foreign artists’ music the fact that Americans listen to M.I.A. is always kind of amazing to me. The fact that she even made a song called “Born Free” is dope to me.

I’ll say this, in her music I don’t think she lies about a lot of what is going on in “the third world”. Most artists we listen to regularly in the States don’t mention these “other people” let alone know what goes on in their lives. It’s better to name check Louis Vuitton, a Beamer, a Benz or a Bently right?

And if she did she wouldn’t be as heavily scrutinized. I also think she stumbles onto the discomfort some in the “first world” feel when the “third world” is brought to their attention. I think that alone set her up for the negative portrayal she got but whatever. M.I.A. handled this the way we all hope an artist would, through her art and I’m all for it. Enough with the hackneyed love songs and the ubiquitous product placement already.

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