A Mother’s Struggles

Previously I wrote about artist Maya Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A. Her first record, Arular, was a critical success, having started as an internet sensation and eventually becoming a live sensation. She toured with LCD Soundsystem and Gwen Stefani at different points. When it came time to record her second record, Kala, she was internationally famous.

Kala is a powerful record slightly different from her first record. M.I.A. was battling censorship and visa issues in the U.S. as a result of her family’s affiliations with guerrillas in Sri Lanka, so she recorded the album in multiple locations. These issues probably provided fuel for the lyrics in the record. Kala has sold over 500,000 copies since its release in 2007.

#101 – M.I.A., Kala (Metascore = 87)

Kala steps away a little from the samples and other beats and employs more live instruments, including a urumee drum, which is indigenous to Sri Lanka, her homeland. Because she travelled a lot to record her record, she often times embraced music from that particular country in her songs. For instance, “Bird Flu” has elements of Gaana music, a Tamil genre of music, as does the song “Boyz”. By introducing different styles to her music, M.I.A. has become an ambassador for many artists in other countries seeking a voice outside of her home. Take for instance “Mango Pickle Down River”, which features five aboriginal boys from Australia.

Thematically, this record focuses on two things: the struggles she has experienced personally and with her family as refugees, and international issues and activism that have become a core part of who she is. With her personal struggles especially she hides these themes within other issues she’s writing about, but if you know her back story, you understand that she’s trying to release these images that she’s seen. “Jimmy”, for instance, recounts how she tried to hook up with a journalist working in Darfur but could not make the trip to be with him. If she had gone, she may have gone through the war zone in Darfur. “World Town” to me feels like one of her more personal stories; I thought she was referring being chased by the Sri Lankan Army. This may not be true at all, but one could imagine her encountering a soldier outside of her door and running to escape.

One of my favorite songs is “20 Dollar” because it is a demonstration of how M.I.A. can rap stories of international struggles, personal struggles, and other issues into one seamless rap. The song opens about the tragedies in Uganda with the blood diamond trade, talks about how $20 can save someone’s life in Africa, and some of the struggles she went through to put this record together. Plus, the song references the Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” “Paper Planes is also a great record.

My overall impression of this record is positive. It’s not as driven politically as Arular, and you can tell that the production has been beefed up since then. However, she starts to give more of herself into the songs, particularly her own struggles, which I find refreshing. I understand why this record isn’t as highly regarded as Arular, but it is still a cool record to hear if you are into a bit of eccentricity in raps.