Vulture: M.I.A.: Behind the Backlash to the Backlash
Why the controversial singer/rapper had such a difficult year in 2010, and after a new mixtape and remix EP 2011 looks better.
Pitchfork: Why We Fight: The Trouble with Maya
Getting politics wrong and getting pop wrong.
marathonpacks.com is a total blam-blam: marathonpacks' 2008 Year-End Lengthy Write-Ups
Excellent pieces on Deerhunter's Microcastle, M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes", and Wale's "Mixtape About Nothing." Easily one of my favorite music writers. I think it's the ethnomusicology background.
marathonpacks: bittersweet distracter: M.I.A. "Paper Planes"
M.I.A. as modern protest music. "It’s safe to assume, for instance, that when M.I.A. says in 'Bamboo Banga' that she’s 'knocking on the door of your Hummer-Hummer,' that she’s not looking for a lift."