M.I.A. is a political beast.

M.I.A. is wonderful. I love her music, I love her style, and I love that she's daring. M.I.A. is unlike anything you will every hear...or see for that matter. Her style and music is uninhibited. Her music is a wild mix of electro, jungle, world, tribal, and dancehall music. Her music is catchy and attention grabbing. That alone is reason enough to love her, but she goes even further. When I hear an M.I.A. song, I can't help but break out into dance. I recently decided to look up some of her lyrics and what they mean.

I discovered that M.I.A. is a political beast. Apparently it runs in the family. Her dad was a major political figure in Sri Lanka. So, there it is. One of my favorite artists of all time is a political statement, and writing about her would make the perfect blog.

M.I.A. admitted that all of her songs are political. Not some, or a few, but ALL of her songs are political and most of them make a reference to Sri Lanka or other third world countries. She wants to give us, the listener, prospective on how hard it is for people from third world countries.

One of my favorite M.I.A. songs is 10 Dollar. I never really listened to the song or read the lyrics until today. I think the song is referring to a Chinese woman that is trying to make a better life for herself. The woman is trying to make money so she can eat and eventually she tries to get a visa so she can move somewhere better.

The woman does whatever she has to do to make the money. First she was a "Dial-a-Bride from Sri Lanka" and "Found herself a Yorkshire banker." The song goes on to suggest that she sells herself for $10 just to make quick money:

"What can I get fo' 10 dollar?
Everything you want
And what can I get fo' 10 dollar?
Anything you want
Yeah what can I get fo' 10 dollar?"

M.I.A. makes other political statements in her songs, but most people don't take the time to slow down and listen to them. I didn't until today. I would've never expected a song about a prostitute would be paired with such a catchy beat. What do you think this song is about?

10 Dollar (Edited) - M.I.A.