Friday, November 7, 2008

Analysis: influences on M.I.A.'s style

Her video graphics are deliberately low budget looking (reminds me of videos from DRC by Werrason, Fally Ipupa etc etc) which is very reflective of what she represents - her background and where she comes from. The 'birdflu' video looks as though it was shot in village situations somewhere in rural Pakistan. Then you have the 'boyz' video with its dancehall/ragga theme probably shot somewhere in Jamaica. This is what I appreciate most about her vids that she's bringing something from the 3rd World and that's unusual considering her mainstream appeal.

Jimmy with the Eastern/Bollywood vibe





Boyz taking it all the way down to Kingston



She's 33 which means she was a teen during the late eighties and early nineties so she probably remembers the time when hip hop was just gaining speed and music videos were colourful and looked similar to what she's bringing in the 'boyz' video. So retrospective. The early nineties was a great time for rap and hip hop. I was only a tot but I remember some of it.

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