Throwback Thursday: M.I.A. ~ “Paper Planes”(2008)
No one on the corner has swagger like us
Hit me on my burner prepaid wireless
The decision was between M.I.A.‘s “Fire, Fire” and “Paper Planes.”
Went with Paper Planes ~ I couldn’t pass up a chance to talk about The Clash since the track leans hard on a sample from “Straight to Hell,” flipping it into something wild, addictive, and completely new.
Peak 2000s swagger that somehow managed to infiltrate the pop culture zeitgeist.
Diplo (with Switch) on the production. (Diplo on making the track)
M.I.A. spitting bars about global politics and immigration.
You couldn’t go anywhere in the summer of 2008 without hearing this song.
Pineapple Express. Slumdog Millionaire.
MySpace, Youtube, mixtapes, music blogs, and mp3 aggregators.
The gunshots. The cash register. The sarcasm in the hook.
A protest song disguised as a summer anthem. Protest or party it met the moment.
15 years later, it still sounds iconic…
Some, some, some I, some I murder…
Some, I some I let go…
“Fire, Fire”
“Straight to Hell”
