Renowned Miami bass producer Diplo has spoken about M.I.A.'s politics, arguing she should be appreciated as an artist.
Politics and music make uneasy bedfellows. Artists from John Lennon to The Clash have entered the fray with good intentions, only to end up having their fingers burned for not being articulate enough.
M.I.A. is the latest in this lineage of revolutionary pop. Speaking out for the disenfranchised, the singer has encountered criticism for not doing her homework properly, or for even misrepresenting the situation in Sri Lanka.
A recent article in the New York Times tore the singer to shreds, resulting in an almighty furore. Now her former sparring partner Diplo has spoken out on the row, claiming that he could see the debate coming.
"When she was beginning to make this last record, I told her you have to stay away from the politics" he told Pitchfork. "I knew something like that was going to happen. Your music is going to be better than your politics because shocking things get hype going. It's not a mystery what she does."
Diplo was interviewed for the article, and defended his quote. "The quote I had in the article was something like she's really good at putting ideas together - and she is" he argued. "When it comes to her record, it sounds like she's the one artist who's fucking totally taking chances and being crazy. I've never met anybody I've ever been able to work with who's been able to do that."
Continuing, the Miami bass producer reflected on the nature of the row. "I don't give a fuck about her politics. I know everything about her politics, I know everything about her family. I know everything about it. No one else knows this kind of stuff. And that's not what's interesting to me. What's interesting is what she does on her records and how fucking weird she is."
"She can reach people with this weird shit and that's way more fucking interesting to me. If you want politics read Howard Zinn books or go to Ted.com. That's a way better fucking place to get your information from then M.I.A.'s album. If you want awesome music, buy her record."
M.I.A.'s new album 'MAYA' is out now.
