Rapper M.I.A. can be thought of as a woman who lives for the moment. The ever-outspoken Sri Lankan rapper is known for rebelliousness that can sometimes land her into trouble – as it did when she flashed her middle finger at television cameras during the 2012 Super Bowl.
While it would be easy to think M.I.A. would buy into the notion of YOLO (you only live once), her new song “Y.A.L.A.,” an acronym for “you always live again” takes a different stance on life.
According to stereogum.com:
“At this point, it’s only a few weeks before we get to hear Matangi, the fourth album from M.I.A. One of its tracks is ‘Y.A.L.A.,‘ a sputtering and fizzing rave attack that takes the piss out of the entire YOLO thing, and she’s already shared a preview of it. But now, the entire track is online, and it’s a bit of a monster. ‘Y.A.L.A.‘ jumps back and forth between mocking playground-chant cadence and megaphone blare, switching tempos and rhythmic tracks with ADD panache.”
In “Y.A.L.A.,” M.I.A. asks, “If you only live once why we keep doing the same s**t?” She takes the position that there are second chances, an idea some people love to buy into. But we’ll see if it will catch on as much as the idea of YOLO did.
“Y.A.L.A.” will be on M.I.A.’s upcoming album Matangi, which is scheduled to be released Nov. 5.
Check out the new song below.
