M.I.A.

MIA Threatens To Leak Music She Made With Doja Cat And Nicki Minaj

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M.I.A.
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MIA returned earlier this year, announcing her long-awaited sixth studio album Mata, which is set to follow up 2016’s AIM. The musician has already unveiled the singles “The One” and “Popular” so far, building up hype for the record. However, today she shared some special but complicated news on her Instagram Story.

“Coming soon I promise,” she wrote over a colorful background with music playing. “I had to wait 2 years for a Doja Cat verse… then a Nicki one… then a…. never mind if Mata isn’t out Sept I will leak it myself.”

This would not be the first time that MIA threatened to leak her own music. Her relationship with her label Interscope is rarely tame; AIM was largely overlooked when it came to critical attention in the mainstream, and that was partially due to a number of legal and internal issues involving Interscope. Mata, however, will mark the first MIA album released via her new partnership with Island Records, following her long-standing history with Interscope and XL Recordings.

MIA is also known for using social media to provoke. In March of 2020, she wrote on Twitter, “If I have to choose the vaccine or chip I’m gonna choose death,” she wrote. “Yeah in America they made me vacinate my child before the school admission. It was the hardest thing.”

MIA Loves Herself On Her Empowering New Single ‘Popular’

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Earlier this year, MIA announced her sixth studio album Mata to follow up 2016’s AIM. She unveiled the first single “The One” and now she’s back with the new track “Popular,” an infectious, self-empowering anthem with a jangly rhythm. It builds up the hype for a catchy LP, though it still has no confirmed release date. Mata will mark the first MIA album released via her new partnership with Island Records, following a long-standing history with Interscope and XL Recordings.

MIA is known for her ability to provoke and stir up public conversation. In 2018, the performer got into trouble when the NFL sued MIA over the obscene gesture she flashed during her 2012 Super Bowl performance with Madonna. “If you’re talking about racism and sexism, that moment in my life showed the cracks in everyone I knew,” she said. “I was at Roc Nation at the time and Jay-Z was managing me. The lawsuit was so ridiculous, it proposed that they would keep one hundred percent of my earnings for the rest of my life if I ever earned more than $2 million dollars. Jay-Z was, like, ‘You should sign that sh*t’ and I was, like, ‘No.’”

Check out “Popular” above.

MIA Confirms The New Album, ‘Mata,’ And Shares Her First New Track In Years, ‘The One’

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As far as new music is concerned, things have been mighty silent in MIA’s camp for years. The last time the British shock rapper and noted activist released an album was in 2016, when AIM came out. But today, the next chapter of MIA has been announced, with the impending release of her sixth studio album, Mata, and the arrival of the first single, “The One.”

Mata will mark the first MIA album released via her new partnership with Island Records, following a long-standing history with Interscope and XL Recordings. “The One,” sees her asserting her deification over a beat produced by Rex Kudo & T-Minus. A performance video surfaced on Twitter of MIA performing the song in front of a giant cross and backed by a children’s choir, showing the depth of the song’s vocal arrangement. On the hook, she raps in coyly auto-tuned vocals, “When you’re tryna find the one, why do you need reminding? No matter how you look at it, it’s me you keep finding.”

Listen to “The One” above and check out MIA’s upcoming tour and festival dates below.

06/01 — Grona Lund @ Stockholm, Sweden
06/02 — Heartland Fest @ Funen, Denmark
06/10 — Primavera @ Barcelona, Spain
06/11 — VYV Festival @ Dijon, France
06/12 — Marsatac Festival @ Marseille, France
06/17 — InVersion Festival @ Lyon, France
06/18 — Freemusic Festival @ Montendre, France
07/08 — NOS Alive @ Oeiras, Portugal
07/09 — BBK Bilbao Live @ Biscay, Spain
09/25 — Portola Music Festival @ San Francisco, CA

Portola Music Festival’s Loaded Inaugural Lineup Features Flume, MIA, And Jamie xx

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Coachella 2017 Music Festival Concert Crown Audience
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Just when you thought that we had enough music festivals announced for 2022, San Francisco’s brand new Portola Music Festival has splashed onto the circuit with an incredibly diverse lineup of marquee electronic-leaning dance, pop, and hip-hop crossover acts. This is a seriously stacked lineup with big names at the top like Flume, The Chemical Brothers, Jamie xx, and a #rare performance from MIA.

Pier 80 is the grounds for the inaugural edition of the Goldenvoice-produced two-day festival on September 24th and 25th. Also appearing on the very well-curated bill are acts like Kaytranada, Jungle, Charli XCX, The Avalanches, Caribou, Toro y Moi, James Blake, Four Tet + Floating Points, Caroline Polachek, PinkPantheress, DJ Shadow, Lane 8, Yaeji, Slowthai, The Blessed Madonna, Justin Martin, and more. While late to the party, this is a legit unbelievable lineup.

And while the festival takes place nowhere near San Francisco’s Garden District known as the “Portola,” it’s actually named after the short-lived Portola Festival of 1909, which celebrated San Francisco’s re-opening following the great fire of 1906. Back then, the festival was built around a parade down Market Street. It then disappeared in 1913 for 35 years before re-establishing itself as a series of Mardi Gras-style parades in 1948, and then fading into the abyss in 1950. Now we have a full-on dance party in a refurbished warehouse and tents on a historic pier. Sure.

Check out the lineup poster below and tickets go on sale on Friday, May 20th, here.

Portola Music Fest Lineup
Portola Music Fest

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Ravyn Lenae Announces Her Debut Album ‘Hypnos’ And Shares A New Single, ‘M.I.A.’

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After years of catchy, dance-ready R&B singles and groovy EPs, Chicago singer Ravyn Lenae is finally releasing her debut album Hypnos. Lenae has teased Hypnos, out next month, with a series of singles, including the trippy “Light Me Up” and the Steve Lacy-assisted “Skin Tight.” Her latest, “M.I.A.,” is an ode to Miami, but also to herself.

“M.I.A is about feeling free and comfortable in your skin,” Lenae said of the song in a statement. “It’s a peek into my world – the duality of knowing the energy you bring to the world but also being confident in riding dolo.”

In addition to her new album, Lenae will also tour the US and the UK over the course of a month.

“When you listen to the music, I hope you have a better understanding of me and even catch a better understanding of yourself,” She said. “As artists, we make music as a pathway to help other people understand certain aspects of their lives. I’ve gone through the tunnels and seen the light on the other side. I’m finding my way. I’m clearer on who I am and my power through music and lyricism. I’m pouring more into me, friendships, family, and music. Through all of that, I’m fulfilled.”

Check out “M.I.A.” above, and the cover art and tour dates below.

Ravyn Lenae 'Hypnos' Cover Art
Courtesy of Atlantic Records

05/26 — Seattle, WA @ Nuemos
05/28 — Berkley, CA @ Cornerstone
05/29 — Ventura, CA @ Ventura Music Hall
05/31 — Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
06/01 — Phoenix, AZ @ Aura
06/03 — Dallas, TX @ Cambridge Room
06/05 — Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl
06/07 — Washington, D.C. @ City Winery
06/08 — Brooklyn, NY @ Prospect Park
06/10 — Boston, MA @ BMH
06/22 — Chicago, IL @ Metro
06/14 — Manchester, England @ Band on the Wall
06/15 — London, England @ Islington Assembly Hall
06/18 — Paris, France @ Badaboum
06/19 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg
06/20 — Berlin, Germany @ Berghain

Hypnos is out 5/20 via Atlantic. Pre-save it here.

Ravyn Lenae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Hip-Hop Songs That Sample Your Favorite Tracks as a Teenager

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Memories of the good ol’ days. Continue reading…