M.I.A. (born July 18, 1975, , England) is a British-born Sri Lankan rapper who achieved global fame with politically charged dance .Mathangi Arulpragasam was born in London and spent much of her childhood in northern . When the between the minority in the north and the Sinhalese government in the south intensified in the 1980s, her father joined the militant , and the rest of her family fled Sri Lanka, eventually returning to London. There Arulpragasam studied visual arts, often creating works that were influenced by the conflict she had witnessed as a child. She received her first exposure to the music industry as the graphic designer for the British pop group Elastica, and she familiarized herself with the recording equipment used by dance music producers.Dubbing herself M.I.A., she recorded the single “Galang” in 2003. Although only 500 copies of the song were pressed, it became an instant hit in the European club scene, and word spread quickly on the Internet about its unique fusion of politically aware , bass-infused , and South London patois. Anticipation of a full-length album intensified among her fans with the release of Piracy Funds Terrorism, a 2004 mixtape produced with American producer Diplo. Although segments of M.I.A.’s 2005 debut album had been circulating on the Internet for almost a year, its release was still greeted with much critical interest. The album title, Arular, was the name her father adopted while a Tamil Tiger, and the album cover featured M.I.A.’s face surrounded by a collage of cartoon tanks and AK-47s. The compilation was a huge success on the club circuit, based on the strength of singles such as “Galang” and “Bucky Done Gun,” and M.I.A.’s politics lent a new gravity to the dance music genre. M.I.A.’s second album, , was released in 2007, and it featured guest production appearances by Diplo and American hip-hop icon . More aggressive and sample-heavy than its predecessor, Kala spawned the hit “Paper Planes,” which catapulted to success when it was used in the theatrical trailer for the 2008 film Pineapple Express., Mathangi Arulpragasam (Tamil: மாதங்கி அருள்பிரகாசம்; born 18 July 1975), known as Maya and professionally as M.I.A. (Tamil: எம்.ஐ.ஏ.; an initialism for both "Missing in action" and "Missing in Acton "), is a British singer, rapper, songwriter, record producer, and activist., But music is more than just sound—our shows cover everything about music culture: awesome live shows, geeky record store clerks, smarmy critics, destroyed hotel rooms, sex-crazed groupies, and.