No one on the corner has swagga like M.I.A. Except maybe Jay-Z.
In a mighty meeting of the swagga, M.I.A. has signed to Jay-Z’s management company Roc Nation.
The management company tweeted the news earlier, saying “The nation just keeps on growing…” with an Instagram pic of the sometimes controversial Sri Lankan-British performer. They’ll manage M.I.A. (real name: Maya Arulpragasam), but Interscope Records will still distribute her albums.
Roc is home to a wide-raning crew of talent covering multiple genres; Rihanna, Santigold, The Ting Tings, Wale, producer Mark Ronson and Shakira are all clients.
M.I.A.’s fourth studio album, “Matangi,” is in the works and will likely drop this fall.
Meanwhile, Hova is gearing up for a “Hard Knock Life,” announcing that he’ll be penning new songs for the upcoming “Annie” remake starring Willow Smith (another Roc Nation signee). He’s also planning Made in America, an eclectic Philly festival with Pearl Jam, Passion Pit, Skrillex, Odd Future and others.
Jay-Z and M.I.A. have worked together before. The rapper’s 2009 single with T.I., “Swagga Like Us,” sampled her hit song “Paper Planes” (which itself was built around a Clash sample).
Jay-Z, T.I. and a very pregnant M.I.A. performed the song at the 2009 Grammys alongside Kanye West and Lil Wayne.
We should expect plenty more collaborations in the future.