During the end credits of the documentary MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A., an unreleased song by the documentary’s subject plays. Sri Lankan rapper/producer/singer M.I.A. has finally shared the full version of the track (and its video) today.
The song, called “Reload,” is energetic and fun, and perhaps the best song to ever reference The Godfather trilogy: “Okay reload, coming at you like Al Pacino / Is you down? Gonna get you for one more round.” The visuals and song appear to be pretty old — M.I.A. didn’t share a date for the song, but the video offers some context clues. The video is shot in blurry fullscreen, with a fresh-faced M.I.A. and her dancers wearing Lizzie McGuire-era square sunglasses, cropped hoodies, logo tees, and miniskirts. M.I.A. directed the video alongside Justine Frischmann, who collaborated with the singer on her 2005 studio debut, Arular.
“Reload” is fun blast from the past, and a real archival treasure. It’s a glimpse of M.I.A. before she was the kind of successful where documentaries were made about her, and a reminder of how incredibly talented she was from the get-go. The video’s caption on Youtube names the dancers as Rudy, Marsha, and Deborah, and urges them to “get in touch” if they see it.
Watch M.I.A.’s new-old video for “Reload” above.
