Music

Controversial rapper M.I.A. takes back control of her image with new doccie

After a rough ride in the media, the fiery British-Sri Lankan musician has her own say by releasing a documentary about her life entitled 'Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.'

13 May 2018 - 00:00 By pearl boshomane tsotetsi

Is fame power? The short answer is yes. But the more accurate answer would probably be "It's complicated". Fame and the things we imagine it comes with - money, a voice, control (of yourself and over others), visibility and access to, well, everything - is a powerful currency to possess. Yet it also means someone can be just as powerless as they are powerful.
British-Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A. (who will be performing in SA in June) is a good example of this. While she's not Beyoncé or Bieber famous, she gets plenty of press coverage and has performed on some of the world's biggest stages (Super Bowl, Grammys) alongside some of the world's most famous people (Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Jay Z).
The daughter of a Tamil political activist father, she's one of the most vocal musicians today and has been unapologetically outspoken about sociopolitical and socioeconomic issues in and outside of her music since releasing her debut album Arular 13 years ago...

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