M.I.A. (AKA Maya Arulpragasam) is calling on her inner-crazy in these weeks prior to the release of her third studio album. After calling out Lady Gaga and Ke$ha (a few times), her already infamous beef with the New York Times has been amplified up since
Lynn Hirschberg's in-depth feature which paints a fairly un-flattering picture of the singer/rapper/songwriter. It includes everything from what role her father really played in the guerrilla and actual government in Sri Lanka, to what Diplo thinks of her, to her giving birth and how she got started.
There's even a few scandalous quotes from a few people. Including this gem from Diplo about why he isn't allowed to record at their house: "Her boyfriend really hates me... Even if she hates my guts, she knows that we can do crazy stuff together. The sound on her records is unlike anyone else’s, and we all take that very seriously.”
Arulpragasam responded via
Twitter saying: "
917.834.3158 CALL ME IF YOU WANNA TALK TO ME ABOUT THE N Y T TRUTH ISSUE, ill b taking calls all day bitches ;)"
Hirschberg has since responded, saying that the debacle is "infuriating and not surprising... I don't think it's surprising. She's a provocateur, and provocateurs want to be provocative."
Did we mention M.I.A.'s (apparently titled album)
/ \ / \ / \ Y / \ is due out in mid-July?
Love you Maya. Here are some of the shots
Ryan McGinley took for the New York Times.