M.I.A. is at it again.

The British-Sri Lankan rapper’s fourth studio album “Matangi” came out last month. The title is a hybrid of the artist’s real name (Mathangi) and the Hindu goddess Matangi. It incorporates much of M.I.A.’s culture, including themes of reincarnation and karma.

“She’s basically a goddess of inner thoughts — the outward expression or the outward articulation of inner thoughts,” M.I.A. said during an NPR interview on Nov. 5. “She was really interesting because she lived in the slums; she lived with the untouchables and represented them. So it was really cool to find a goddess that was not considered clean and pure, and was not on a pedestal.”

And M.I.A.’s fan base knows she is no stranger to representing the underdogs of the world. Her past hits include “Paper Planes,” which is mainly about the commercial success of weapon distribution and the violence it entails. Now after a three-year hiatus, M.I.A. is back with a vengeance.

The first song off the album is “Karmageddon.” In the very mellow and haunting introduction, she sings, “My words are my armor and you’re ’bout to meet your karma.”

“Matangi,” the title track, sounds like a distant relative of her previous hit, “Boyz,” as she sings it in the same style. The song is incredibly catchy with its traditional Desi sound. Throughout the song, she lists different countries, sometimes sounding like a stream of consciousness.

Perhaps the only downfall with the song is the apparent disconnect of its parts: The first is of her demonstrating her geographic literacy while the second is an unclear freestyle. She even pokes fun at the modern-day rap industry by saying, “We started at the bottom but Drake gets all the credit.”

As much as I love M.I.A., there are a lot of times when it was unclear what exactly she was rapping about. Still, her innovation and outlandishness make up for the lack of understanding.

Another song worth mentioning is “Exodus.” It’s a really beautiful song. It samples The Weeknd’s “Lonely Star.” M.I.A. sings in the chorus demonstrating that, no, she doesn’t just rap.

“Bring the Noize” sounds like traditional M.I.A. She stylized this track after many ’90s rap songs in which artists introduce themselves, explaining why they are better than any other emcee out there.

More collaboration could have helped the album, however. Artists such as Santigold and MGMT would have complemented M.I.A. well. Regardless, M.I.A. is indisputably terrific on her own.

But while it lacked contribution from other artists, the album had other notable songs like “Warriors” and “Lights.” M.I.A. is the Nicki Minaj for hip-hop heads and hipsters. She is in your face in the best and worst ways. She is passionate about her music and loves what she does, and it is evident in her artwork.

Published on December 3, 2013 at 1:38 am

Contact Elaina: ekcrocke@syr.edu