Anyone that raps that they put salt and pepper on their mango better holla back!

Saturday night my friend Mr. Timothy Todd Read, Jr., of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin Reads, was kind enough to escort me to see M.I.A. at the Knitting Factory...and you are a straight SUCKER if you missed it. What a great goddamn show that was!

I shall break it down.

M.I.A. (Missing In Acton in the UK/Missing In Action on this side of the pond) is the moniker of a Sri Lankan-British rapper by the name of Maya Arulpragasam and she is pretty rad. My girl is a filmmaker turned rapper that was hired by Elastica to document their tour (they still tour?!)--and in turn became friendly with Peaches who was also on said tour who turned her onto making beats. That is how the magic began.

Now I will let it be known right now, never heard anything about this lass until a few months ago when I was loitering at a Hudson News stand, flipping through The New Yorker, you know, trying to look "extra" smart (I emphasis the "extra" part) and came across an article about a female Sri Lankan rapper. I mean duh, I had to stop and read it...how many Sri Lankan rappers you know? Pakastani rappers tons...Lankans, none, don't lie. But I digress.

So I'm reading this and I'm all like oh this is some stuff. A week later I see a bunch more articles and I was like I wonder how this hype machine is going to play out. Soon enough I get the Knitting Factory newsletter and they in so many words were like you better check it cause you know the bandwagon is gunna get mad heavy....and cause we is givers come on down to Leonard Street and peep this for only 12 bucks. Or something like that. So I purchased some tickets and sent an e-mail out to some my comrades to join me. I was bummed out that my road dawg for life Mr. Jason Black didn't check it cause he would have loved it! Sidenote: Our first "buds for life" concert was at the Knit and it was Moloko. Holding back the years, Black, holding back the years...I'm not mad at you boo, get Melba Moore tickets and it's all gravy. Love you! Wow, let me see if I can get a ticket out of tangentville.

I'm back...

Okay, now I had heard that that a single she had out last year,"Galang", was it...like the song was blowin' up like the fish in the Faith No More video all up in the UK and I wanted to hear it. And apparently a lot of other fools because the place was SOLD OUT. I can't stand the Knit when it is crowded cause they have not mastered that AC thing but Diplo from the Hollertronix crew, who I have been wanting to see for MONTHS, was spinning his own set and for M.I.A. so I was willing to chill with the bitching and moaning...even though it is soooooo fun for everyone involved! Anyway my man went on and I was like wut, wut?! I mean, he just knows what to play, how to play it and when to play it. I tried to work out some 'graphy but didn't have enough space...I tried, believe me that I did.

Let me fast forward. So old girl comes out (by the by, superbabe...yeah, she had a cape on, not trying to objectify and whatnot but hot is hot and it needs to be said, don't be mad) and the crowd was hyped! I mean this "Internet" thing the kids are on is a trip cause the young lady's album doesn't come out till the 22nd and people just instantly started singing along like it was a L'Trimm reunion tour...shit, we all love the cars that go boom.

I got all wrapped up in it that I started dancing like I was auditioning for Debbie Allen or something. I cannot remember the last time I was at a show that I didn't know ANY of the music and I was having so much fun. It wasn't about singing along, it was about just shaking what ya mama gave you and carrying on with the masses. I got carried away to the point where I clipped Mr. Read in the face with my elbow a few times...sorry! I gotta say, he took it like a champ. The fact is that when you drop Ciara's "Goodies" into a set I will Alvin Ailey it and injuries can occur. And don't get me started on dancehall. You just got to move with the spirit. I let the Lord lead me and I just follow. Amen.

Moral of the story is this...get her album...check out Diplo's mixes...see their shows...believe the fucking hype! She was having fun, we were having fun, it was just a great time had by all. The beats were not tired and played out and she doesn't sound like anyone else. Just a smart ass woman with a great accent that has shit to say about where she came from and the state of the world. Kids, that is worth a lot.

BTW...she became a refugee at 10...that is gangsta...all other MC's need to sit down. Except for 5o cause he got shot in the face like 900 times and really, I wouldn't want to fuck with the brother. And Chuck D is cool cause he fights the power all the time and he's like my hero. And the Beasties are cool cause they are the cool. Plus Jay-Z might have 99 problems but a bitch ain't one so he fresh. Well, you know what I'm saying...

Okay, word.

http://www.xlrecordings.com/mia/

http://www.hollertronix.com/