Never one to hold back true feelings about her record label’s dealings, M.I.A. has spoken out once again in protest of control over her art. The rapper went on a Twitter rant on Monday against her label, citing “cultural appropriation” as the reason why her video has yet to be released.
https://twitter.com/MIAuniverse/status/600320380264288256
Okay. Let’s discuss then.
https://twitter.com/MIAuniverse/status/600324676598927360
Clearly, M.I.A. is not a fan of how labels push a mainstream agenda for more sales, and understandably so. With the exception of a few artists, few musicians have total control over the art they put out. M.I.A. is hardly the first artist to have their work altered or rejected because of a label thought it lacked mainstream accessibility, and she certainly won’t be the last.
One of the issues appears to be a certain dancer in the video:
https://twitter.com/MIAuniverse/status/600327730547163136
https://twitter.com/MIAuniverse/status/600340648240119809
https://twitter.com/MIAuniverse/status/600330281787068417
M.I.A. has proven her ability to make culturally aware music and videos that cater to the mainstream at the same time, as hits “Paper Planes” and “Bad Girls” attest. There must be something really crazy going on in this latest video for the label to refuse its release.
(Via Stereogum)
