Madonna, Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, And Rihanna Targeted By M.I.A.
M.I.A. may have been Madonna’s Super Bowl partner in 2012, but the Queen of Pop certainly isn’t on her friend list anymore. She has name-dropped the singer along with Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande on a new single. Billboard has the news.
“The rapper teased her latest take-no-crap track ‘Powa’ with a 10-second audio clip and its lyric sheet. It’s loaded with anti-authority bravado (‘Throw up my finger and I’m taking on the Tower’), persecution complex (‘I’m not your enemy, FBI checking me’), wicked wordplay (‘Super-kala fascist, racist, espi-ala-tazors /Posers with the cases /They better not erase us /Betta come face us)’ and her customary venom for anyone that’s ticking her off.”
The article adds that M.I.A. also sings, “I’m not Rihanna, I’m not Madonna, I’m not Mariah, or Ariana/I’ve been around in this world causing drama/The real spice girl, hot girl power.”
M.I.A. has always been very outspoken, which is one of the reasons Madonna wanted to collaborate with her on her 2012 album MDNA. However, Madonna probably wishes she hadn’t invited M.I.A. to perform with her at the Super Bowl. It was Madonna’s chance to shine, and — according to most sources — she did. However, Madonna was also overshadowed quite a bit when M.I.A. flipped off the cameras during her rap.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Madonna had some choice words for her actions.
“I didn’t know about it until I left. I had no idea what goes on in front of me, the camera capturing things, so when I left, I found out about it in the elevator on my way to get into the car to go to the airport,” Madonna is quoted as saying before adding that it was a very irrelevant and teenager type of thing to do.
M.I.A. was sued for $16 million but settled out of court according to Pitchfork.
“M.I.A. and the NFL have reached a settlement in the lawsuit that followed after M.I.A. flashed a middle finger during her cameo at Madonna’s halftime show at the 2012 Super Bowl. M.I.A.’s attorney Howard King has confirmed that a settlement between parties has been reached, though the specific terms of the settlement remain private.”
The article added that M.I.A. was initially issued a $1.5 million fine after she flipped off a camera after her appearance. The league later raised the fine to $16.6 million, which they claimed as a price for the public exposure she gained as a result of the event.
In 2013, the New York Daily News reported that M.I.A. claimed the lawsuit was ridiculous and that she was just being used as a scapegoat for “what’s offensive in America.”
“There’s a row scantily clad young black female cheerleaders that no one seemed to complain about. Madonna got them from a local high school in Indianapolis,” M.I.A. is quoted as saying, adding that the girls were under 16, wearing cheerleader outfits, and in a very sexual provocative position.
According to Spin, M.I.A. even tried to deflate the situation by saying that the middle finger is all about yoga. They quoted an NPR interview with M.I.A., who said that she was not saying “f*** you” to America but shouting out Matangi, the spirit guide of her new album at the time (late 2013).
M.I.A. has always been one of the most outspoken artists in the popular world of music, and even Madonna herself still praises the rapper for this. However, some people think it’s quite desperate for her to come after really famous pop singers on her new single.
Do you think this is all a publicity stunt to get people to buy M.I.A.’s latest record? Let us know in the comments section.
[Featured Image by Christopher Polk/Getty Images]
