M.I.A. has unveiled “MIA OLA” and “Foreign Friend”, two brand new tracks streaming below. “MIA ON THE WAVES Miauk – Mia-ola I love u brazil!”
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Regarding the Lion King sample, M.I.A. suggested on Twitter that it was unlicensed: “pirates! throw that shit on dj sites WORLDWIDE no borders – b 4 Disney shut it down!”
In this case though, it’s probably fair to say M.I.A. doesn’t really give a rat’s.
“Foreign Friend” continues the anti-border control theme as she boasts about her illegal activities.
The other notable bit of production is that “OLA” samples the a memorable part of “The Circle of Life” from The Lion King: the Swahili intro “Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba”. Like her previous single, and indeed a big chunk of her discography, Mia Ola and Foreign Friend are quite politically charged, addressing some of the immigration issues also touched on in Borders.
This pair of tracks follows M.I.A.’s recently released track “Boom ADD”, an extended version of “Boom Skit” that addresses her National Football League lawsuit.
Listen to the new tracks below, while you can.
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But M.I.A. doesn’t chart her career around Billboard charts-she wags her middle finger in the air and sings about what is important to her. Or, as she sings, “most of things I do they banned it / but i’ma still do it, I’m a bandit”.
