M.I.A.

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MIA Said She'd 'Choose Death' Over Vaccine. Now, a New Tiff

Rapper claims 'British Vogue' pulled feature on her over controversial vaccination remark

(Newser) - Last month, rapper MIA started a bit of a hubbub regarding vaccines in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and she now says her remarks cost her a high-profile magazine feature. At the end of March, the musician also known as Maya Arulpragasam tweeted , "If I have to choose...

MIA's Opener: Julian Assange
 MIA's Opener: Julian Assange 

MIA's Opener: Julian Assange

He video chats with NYC audience

(Newser) - MIA's Matangi tour launched Friday night in New York City, and there was an unexpected opening act: Julian Assange. The WikiLeaks founder Skyped in from the Ecuadorian embassy in London so he could address the audience via video, Rolling Stone reports. "I have become a fan of MIA...

MIA Hit By Restraining Order After Twitter Meltdown
MIA Hit By Restraining Order After Twitter Meltdown
custody wars

MIA Hit By Restraining Order After Twitter Meltdown

Benjamin Bronfman doesn't want her taking son to London

(Newser) - Things have gotten pretty ugly between rapper MIA and her babydaddy and ex-fiance Benjamin Bronfman: After MIA allegedly threatened to take son Ikhyd to London, Bronfman got a temporary restraining order to make sure she can't, sources tell the New York Post . All three are currently living in Brooklyn,...

MIA's Rider Demands 3 Burka-Clad Women

Oh, and she needs some vodka too, of course

(Newser) - MIA has become quite a hot topic since she flipped the bird at the Super Bowl and the subsequent revelation that her relationship with fiancé and babydaddy Benjamin Bronfman is on the skids. So is it any surprise that the Smoking Gun , which loves to air stars' diva demands, got...

MIA Flips Bird in Super Bowl Halftime Show

Apparently she cusses, too, just like in song's original version

(Newser) - What would a Super Bowl halftime show be without a pop star doing something fairly outrageous? But halftime queen Madonna wasn't this year's provoker; it was her guest star—political dance maven MIA, who ended her performance during Madonna's "Give Me All Your Luvin" by flipping...

MIA Remembers Amy Winehouse in New Song

'27' also pays tribute to Joplin, Cobain, Morrison: NYDN

(Newser) - MIA's tribute to fellow musician Amy Winehouse is, fittingly, a song. "All rock stars go to heaven, you said you'll be dead at 27," MIA sings in "27," which alludes to other singers who have also died at that age—among them Janis Joplin,...

MIA Pens Song for 'Racist' NYT Reporter

Sample lyric: 'You're a racist / I wouldn't trust you one bit.'

(Newser) - MIA isn't stopping at sharing Lynn Hirschberg’s phone number with the Twitterverse in retaliation for the reporter’s unflattering New York Times Magazine profile of the singer. MIA's latest move: a song for Hirschberg—aptly titled “IM A SINGER”—which poses the lyrical question, “Why the...

MIA Baby's Name Ikhyd— Not Ickitt

Rapper's son named Ikhyd

(Newser) - TMZ got its hands on rapper MIA’s baby’s birth certificate, and yes, the boy does have a crazy name, if not quite the one you thought it was. Her son, born last month, is named Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman—and not Ickitt, as initial reports moved MIA to...

MIA Has a Boy; Will She Make the Oscars?

Baby's sex not yet public

(Newser) - MIA is now an M-O-M, reports Hitfix. The 31-year-old Sri Lankan singer and hip-hop artist delivered a healthy baby boy on Wednesday, notes People. It's her first child, and there's no word on the name yet. Now the big question: Can MIA—who performed at the Grammys on her due...

Rapper MIA Gives Voice to Tamil Tigers

Rebel leader's daughter walks fine line of glorifying terrorism

(Newser) - America knows MIA as the rapper who dropped rhymes—and nearly a baby—at the Grammy Awards, but she’s a far more divisive figure in Sri Lanka, the New York Times reports. MIA's father is a leader in the Tamil Tigers and critics say the rapper, whose videos are...

Top 10 Preggo Performances
 Top 10 Preggo Performances 

Top 10 Preggo Performances

Celebs don't let pregnancy keep them out of spotlight

(Newser) - Some women are born to perform, and they’re not gonna let a baby bump get in the way. Time lists the top 10 pregnant performers:
  1. MIA gave an impressive Grammy performance on her due date.
  2. Amy Poehler rapped alongside Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live with a big bulge.
...

Female Rappers Can't Beat 'Boys Club'

For women in rap, carving out an identity is no easy feat

(Newser) - Queen Latifah is about to release her first rap album since 1998, but female rappers are still no better represented on the hip-hop charts now than they were 30 years ago, laments Jonah Weiner in Slate. No female artists received BET nominations this year, and they face an uphill struggle...

The Cool Kids Take Hip-Hop Back to the '80s

Miss the days of LL Cool J? Give this Chicago duo a listen

(Newser) - Hip-hop sensation the Cool Kids might come off as too, ahem, cool for school, catapulting from an online hit to Pitchfork Music Festival performer and MIA's fall tour opener—without ever releasing an album. But Chicago Magazine paints Antoine Reed, 20, and Evan Ingersoll, 23, as two inexperienced Chicagolanders whose...

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