Wednesday, June 4, 2008

M.I.A.

I want to bring attention to Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, the artist of M.I.A.

Arulpragasam only recently has been living in Brooklyn, before that England and Sri Lanka(wikipedia.com), but she captures a lot in her flurry of pictures and sounds that her video "Paper Planes" encapsulates. "Paper Planes" is really genius because it captures the role Americans have in "terror".

The character she plays is an American image, a beautiful young immigrant Indian woman working in a hot-dog truck and convenience store. At one point she wears those popular big black sunglasses as if she were high in public. There is darkness and shadows elsewhere in the video too. A black cash register, small dark rooms, the dark city, twilight, black and white city streets, a black skull and cross bones UPS truck, dark clothes, dark blue eye shadow. The girl counts money, wears gold chains, and dances; readily accepting money from the customers at her sandwich truck. She smiles and dances in the truck, in the convenience store, and through the streets.

The video begins with an image of many small paper planes flying into New York City. Lines about planes, visas, bombs, and records conjure up immediate thoughts of "terrorism," but they are skillfully intertwined with images and references to "American" ideas so much that it is difficult to differentiate the two. She sings, "Sometimes I feel sitting on trains/ Every stop I get to, I'm clocking that game,/ Everyone's a winner, we're making that fame". References to city life in America are paired with images of New York. Arulpragasam's song brings home the idea that as we are "pumping that gas" and delivering like "UPS trucks" we are actually pumping "lethal poison through their system." She describes "All I wanna do is... take your money... some I murder... some I let go." To carelessly take part in this system of poison, money, and terror, is to "fly like paper, get high like planes" and the result is the current state of "third world democracy." Or perhaps that first image of paper planes flying towards the towering buildings of New York refers to the thousands of immigrants that come to New York each year, for whatever reason (maybe for freedom), people who did not want to leave their countries but were forced to because of world forces beyond their control, often powerful forces that today emanate from NYC. Each paper plane flies beautifully, with American freedom, but as I watch them flying down dark streets towards towering buildings, I can't help but think of planes flying into towers, a terrorizing expression of global freedom and murder.


The lyrics are as follows(metrolyrics.com):

I fly like paper, get high like planes
If you catch me at the border, I got visas in my name
If you come around, I make'em all day
I get one down in a second if you wait

(repeat)

Sometimes I feel sitting on trains
Every stop i get to, I'm clocking that game
Everyone's a winner, we're making that fame
Bona fide hustler making my name

(repeat)

All I wanna do is
And a, and take your money
All I wanna do is
And a, and take your money

(repeat)

Pirate skulls and bones
Sticks and stones and weed and bombs
Running when we hit'em
Lethal poison through their system

(repeat)

No one on the corner has swagger like us
Hit me on my banner, prepaid wireless
We pack and deliver like UPS trucks
Already going hell, just pumping that gas

All I wanna do is
And a, and take your money
All I wanna do is
And a, and take your money

(repeat)

M.I.A. Third World Democracy
Yeah, I got more records than the KGB
So, no funny business, are you already?

Some some some I some I murder
Some I, some I let go
Some, some, some I, some I murder
Some I, some I let go

All I wanna do is
And a, and take your money
All I wanna do is
And a, and take your money

(repeat)

Music by M.I.A.
essay by Alan Waxman