Thursday, March 17, 2005

The Bombs Make You Blow

Maya Arulpragasam, who goes by the nom-de-guerre M.I.A., has done more than give us the next twist on rebel rock with her insanely infectious breakout hit, "Galang," and its laddish, nonsensical, outta-nowhere sing-along outro – "Ya ya heeeey, woy oy eee oh oh oh yah-yah yay!" Her grimy, Sri Lankan-via-South-London dancehall riot beat kicks open a door to an international phenomenon that has yet to break through onto Power 106 or 100.3 The Beat, posing a hugely important question: If Sri Lankan refugee-hop sounds this fresh, what else is out there?