Weeks after M.I.A. released an extended song targeted at racism in the NFL, the rapper has dropped another new track focused on racial treatment in America.
In “OLA,” M.I.A. raps over an electronic beat about sneaking around border patrol cops at the U.S.-Mexican border.
“At the borda I see the patrolla / Cruisin past in their car. / Creepin’ in my socks and slipper, / Mexicans say ‘Hola,’” she raps as a chorus.
After “OLA,” the track transitions into a second song, “Foreign Friend.” The upbeat rhythm is replaced by a chanting man and drums, as M.I.A. slows her rap to a more demanding statement: “Better tell somebody, I’m an immigrant.”
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.”
In a tweet M.I.A. posted after sharing the new track, the rapper seems to be fearing a copyright lawsuit from Disney for the Lion King sample. She asks “pirates” to start uploading the song to other sites before “Disney shut[s] it down.”
M.I.A. is expected to release her fifth studio album Matahdatahsoon. Listen to “OLA” and “Foreign Friend” below.
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