M.I.A. has a new interview in Complex Magazine to promote her new album (the one with the ginger-holocaust song). There’s only one part of the interview that’s being widely circulated (at MTV and Bossip), but the full online interview is pretty good. I just skimmed it, but M.I.A. is an interesting woman. She’s just come off a hiatus from her career, having gotten married to Ben Bronfman, the son of Warner Music Group CEO and billionaire Edgar Bronfman Jr. Oh, she had a baby too – if you married the son of a billionaire, wouldn’t you get knocked up in a hurry too? Anyway, the biggest quotes are about Jay-Z and Nas. Ruh-roh.
M.I.A. has shared her thoughts on the difference between Jay-Z and Nas in a recent interview.
The rapper/singer explained that both of the rap stars took different routes to success.
She told Complex Magazine: “Jay became the biggest representation of rap music who’s still alive, started dating Beyoncé, everything was so much bigger and better with Jay-Z. I hope people don’t think that that wins.”“The fact that Nas didn’t become all this sort of stuff changes people’s perception about the music and the work he achieved in his lifetime. I don’t wanna say Jay-Z sold out, but I just feel like we have to wait another 10 years to see what happens.”
“Jay-Z’s ambition was to become like Frank Sinatra, a household name all over the planet, and own a casino in Vegas and stuff like that. And I think Nas was really sticking to knowledge. I still think the biggest point about hip-hop is in there somewhere, what happens to those two artists.”
[From MTV]
Is Jay-Z a sellout? Yes, maybe, of course, not really, something like that. Personally, I think Jay-Z has “sold out” in a relatively minor way – it’s not like he’s out shilling Pro-Active or something. Jay’s a smart businessman, and that’s one of the reasons he appeals to me, at least. Plus, girls who marry sons of billionaires shouldn’t pontificate on keepin’ it real, I think.
Photos courtesy of Complex (more photos in the slideshow).
The only thing Jay-Z sold was his soul to the Illuminati, just like every other successful celebtard. How else do these talentless hacks get where they are? Look at everything he does, it’s nothing but occult/Illuminati symbolism, he is bought and paid for, and this fame is his “reward”. Hope it’s worth it….douchebag. I’ll hate him forever for making that POS Beyonce the “superstar” she is today. That b*tch is less likable and appealing than explosive diarrhea, yet here she is. That alone makes me believe ALL the conspiracy theories, that these two useless, talentless creatures are so famous and popular. Think about it.
I love Jay-Z and Beyonce. They are the best!
SOUNDS LIKE YOUR JEALOUS OF THEIR SUCCESS KIA! HAVE YOU EVER HEARD BEYONCE SING- SHE IS NOT TALENTLESS…BRITNEY SPEARS IS TALENTLESS!!!
Totally agree Kia. And he will never be a Frank Sinatra. EVER. Frank Sinatra actually had some class and talent. And I know it was a different generation, but I am 48 and own Frank Sinatra music. A household name. What a joke! I would NEVER buy anything they put out today, especially JayZ, Beyonce, Rihanna, Lady Gag Me. The only reason I know about most of these losers is from reading blogs. I definitely don’t listen to radio stations that play their horrible music or watch their horrible videos.
@kia
Okay, that is freakin’ hilarious…
SO true. LOL
LOVE it.
I read an interview with Joseph gordon levitt [3rd rock from the sun, 500 days of summer], and he mentioned how obscene it is-what kind of money actors make now adays, and the celebrity thing-and how in the past, the stage/theater was next door to the brothel.
ie,it was ‘entertainment’ for the masses.
In all probability, to keep them from uprising against their king or queen.
ACtually, that’s where carnival in venice started-at the end of spring, when the winter’s rations are gone, and people are darn near revolution, cuz they were hungry, the king threw a big party for everyone, and let everyone go nuts/wild, so as to appease the masses, express that energy, and back to business as usual. [aka, being in one class or another,and not fighting that status].
The celebrity thing, by way of acting and music, has definitely become our new royalty. no doubt about it.
I don’t think you’d ever hear our great Sinatra sing “I got 99 problems and a b**ch ain’t one” either….
(I’m 34 and love Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack)
No, you are not jealous of beyonce if you think she’s lame.
I have a friend who just cannot even get started on her [and my friend is black] saying why does beyonce complain about not wanting to be just a sex symbol? that’s ALL she is. she wears those dresses,outfits,etc.
Yea, just b/c she can sing a little,does not mean she is a great artiste….
lauren hill, erykah badu,they are true artists. the others mentioned are entertainers, as is britney, and madonna,etc. entertainers have their place, but let’s not confuse them with actual musicians/singers.
same goes for rhiana-OMFG!!!! I don’t know why, but i have a visceral hatred of her music and her contrived attempts at being ‘risque’. it’s SO obvious how she was plucked from obscurity and pimped onto us. we were sold a package alright. yes,she has an okay voice, but she’s not great, and if jay z wasn’t trying to make a shitload of money by selling us her package, we wouldnt even know who R. is/was.
Same with Beyonce. Many say their marriage is a business arrangement-and you know,it’s likely true. The industries of acting and music are filled with such arrangements,but we so desparately want a king and queen to adore, that we don’t even see it.
I won’t buy their music, either.
But then again, I don’t own any frank,and don’t plan to.
I think he was an arrogant, smug guy. meh to him.
Jackie
Maybe you should listen BEFORE labeling it horrible!Jay just compares himself to Sinatra and I’m 47 and own BOTH artists. To each his own.
Peace
(Yes, I have JayZ music too, but he won’t ever be Sinatra! LOL)
Yesterday I asked my bf why he dislikes JayZ. His answer: because just Puffy, all he ever did was sample hooks from old songs and rap over them. And even though they are not the only artists to ever do this, the majority of their “hits” are exactly that.
He has a point.
I’ve started liking MIA ever since her last controversial video… takes guts to put something like that out there.
Totally agree with Relli.
Haha I love the “UR JUST A JELUS H8R” comment. In all caps, no less! Beyonce and Jay-Z have absolutely NOTHING that I would ever want. Nothing about their lifestyle is desirable, appealing or even interesting to me. It is vapid, shallow and devoid of real feeling, love or meaning. If KIMBERLY knew anything about the true world of celebtards, she would know this already, but what do I expect from the all-caps JELUS H8R brigade? Perhaps you should Google “Project Monarch” or check out Vigilant Citizen’s blog, you might learn something….
And Beyonce IS absolutely talentless in every way. She dances like she’s having an epileptic seizure (no offense to epileptics), my scooter-bound stepdad has better moves than that prancing heifer. “Single Ladies” is the biggest pile of steaming rancid horse crap to ever be recorded and the fact that it is so popular is depressing (and shows that, like PT Barnum said, fools and their money are indeed soon parted). Her “singing” is like nails on a chalkboard and her stupid moon face makes me want to retch, and so do her stupid lace-front wigs. Also, her diva behavior is SO not warranted nor is it earned, since she is no Celine, Barbra, Mariah or even Christina. F*ck Beyonce and Jay-Z, “jealous” my ASS. GTF outta here!
LOL sorry for the insane rant, pregnancy hormones are not fun but good lord I do loathe Beyonce! And I am pleasantly surprised at all the agreement, thanks everyone else 🙂
I agree on Rihanna. She sucks.
At least celebrities, unlike royalty, do SOMETHING for their money, even if lame.
I am often surprised by what’s popular in music, TV, and movies, but I just remind myself that “90% of everything is crap” – can’t recall who said it first. So 90% of books, TV shows, etc. will be garbage, with the remaining 10% being good.
@sdcs
Your friend is Black!?!!
Well, then your argument about what you’re saying just got even more relevant/true!
::blank stare::
Was that really necessary to point out? Your friend is black, Beyoncé is black and, therefore by that logic, the fact that someone like her doesn’t even like her gives credence to your point of Beyoncé being useless true? Ok, got it.
Bread and circus…….forgot the Latin phrase, but the bread was thrown to the masses and eaten while others killed one another in an arena.
Most of these “celebrities” have some talent….Beyonce, Jay, etc. but how they present it and market it especially the females selling sex through imagery and words in addition to the dark symbolism…..yeah I scream sell outs, too.
Frank Sinatra has about as much class a bag of day old poo. He was a mob wannabe, a womaniser and a ‘class’ A prick.
Who died and made her the authentication police?
@kia,
I’m already mad because I have to defend Beyonce…
That said, Beyonce was a “superstar” long before Jay-Z ever came along. Both of them were famous before the got together. Funny how you bring up Vigilante Citizen’s blog. I was just there last night and whoever runs that blog must own stock in tinfoil.
Regardless of how anyone feels about hip-hop or rap, Jay-Z is one of the most talented rappers out there, although his long-time rival, Nas, is a better lyricist. Seeing as that he doesn’t get himself in a lot of trouble like the Lohans of the worlds, I wouldn’t say he was a “celebutard.”
Also, I don’t see where it came out of Jay’s mouth that he’s comparing himself to Frank Sinatra. M.I.A. is saying that he want to be like him in terms of being a household name. She could easily have said Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt, also household names.
My biggest problem with Beyonce and JayZ is just what someone else said above about celebrity being the new royalty.
the more people that treat them as such the more they will behave as such. This generation has brought on the era of cool perpetuated by the narcisissm (bump the spelling right now) of Facebook and Twitter. how flashy can you be. how many ways can you tell other people that youre cool. celebrities have become people that dont have to say please and thank you anymore. It upsets me becuase thats how everybody wants to be. no more please and thank you. Just “i run this” because ” 30 is the new 20″ and “i got the baddest B$%@^ in the game”
BHAHHAAHHAHAAHAHA @kia!!!! HHAHAH i agree with you!!!!
Will people take Frank Sinatra off that pedestal. He was more of a THUG than Jay Z could ever have been. Those who don’t really know about need to read about him before you respond because he was scum. Though I actually like Sinatra’s music over Jay Z, I would support Jay Z ANY day over Frank Sinatra.
Jay-Z reminds me of Denzels character in American Gangster. I could see him being like that in real life.
“girls who marry sons of billionaires shouldn’t pontificate on keepin’ it real, I think”. CLASSIC
I’m sorry, but how exactly did this little girl become an authority on hip hop?
The arrogance, and lack of self awareness in her statements amazes me. True hip hop artists and their fans decide who is real and who is a sell out, not some British kid.
When she has hip-hop honor awards, or Vibe articles or the praise or even respect of the hip hop community, then maybe. But not today.
@kia: You need to calm down on the conspiracy theories girl before you hyperventilate.
My goodness, when you hate you hate, don’t you? Hardly seems worth the effort to me, but whatev.
Crash-
Yeah, I am SRS BIZ about my celebtard hate…I’m just as mean as a viper, it’s not as extreme as it seems, like I said most of it is just pregnancy hormones lol. Besides, I don’t have a real job or anything like that so what else am I gonna do? 🙂
Although I like M.I.A.s style of music and think she´s earned the title artist, I love that quote: “girls who marry sons of billionaires shouldn’t pontificate on keepin’ it real, I think.”
Another thing that smells fishy about her, is that she tends to show of her tamil-tiger-dad: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/feb/11/mia-sri-lanka-tamil-tigers
So on one hand she is a great artist, very courageous and said a lot of right things about female non-white artists and women in general. On the other she married money and likes her extremist dad a lot and publicly….
1. I agree with kia totally…2. jay z is a slack jawed creep…3. not all conspiracies are theories.
I love how these blogs twist everything that celebrities say. I don’t think MIA was trying to be rude in any type of way.
Aren’t just about all celebrities in some way sellouts? Along the way, didn’t all of them have to do something, compromise something to get where they are, that little pus-head MIA included?
So what if she thinks Jay-Z is a sellout. He’s uh, laughing all the way to the bank, eh? Do you think he cares what MIA thinks? I’m reasonably sure his fans don’t.
The Beyonce hate is just as bad, if not worse than the Jen/Ange crap. Good grief.
. . . but good lord I do loathe Beyonce!
————————————————————–
I don’t like Beyonce either but, really kia, this much hate is just counterproductive, don’t you think? I just don’t listen to her music, change the channel whenever she’s on TV, don’t look at photos of her, etc. Hating her like you do would give me a permanent stomachache!! Not.worth.it!!
I agree with Kia and the others that are slamming that two-legged cash register called Beyonce and Jay-Z. Beyonce’s music is junk and Single Ladies is one of the most annoying songs ever recored. My contempt for Beyonce formed when the story came out about how the head of the Egyptian Antiquities took her to the Pyramids and all she could see in her pea brain was a photo op. He called her stupid – which she is but the story was largely ignored here in the states. Slamming beyonce doesn’t mean I’m jealous – it means I can tell the difference but a fake human being that has no real human emotions (probably why most of her songs stink) and is just a manufactured celebutard – like britt,miley,riri, etc. What makes me laugh is that the ppl defending Beyonce/Jay-Z act like these two maroons are there friends – Beyonce cares only about herself. How much of her money has she donated to help the ppl of Haiti. Beyonce and Jay-Z care little for the Black community, they only exploit it to make themselves rich. Can’t ppl see that. I will say that MIA is also somewhat of a hypocrite given who she is married to.
WTF is the “Illuminati”? Wasn’t that the bad guy organization in a Dan Brown book? It’s “real”?
LOL@ Kia. I believe the pregnancy hormones reason (not excuse, I don’t need a damn excuse when I can’t eat my favorite food without puking and I’m facing another month before I supposedy feel better), I’ve had a hate-on for a lot of people, although Jay-Z and Beyonce don’t really push my buttons…Reality stars and right-wing freaks get me going. Jay-Z and Beyonce had the sense to mass-market themselves, each was an individual star in their own right before they got together. In fact, they met on the set of 2003’s “Bonnie and Clyde” video-both were already household names. Of course, they are sell outs. You can either be a commercial success or critically acclaimed, but it’s very rare to be both. That’s why people watch reality TV, and movies that get critical acclaim are rarely box-office successes. American society, in general, is lulled into a comfortable zone of shitty entertainment-music, television, books, movies-rarely do we find a solid book with multi-layered meaning making the best-seller. No, we’d rather celebrate Stephanie Meyers self-loathing, violent-tendencied vampire drivel. How many of those d*mn “something borrowed” books are they going to make? How many drippy, formulaic romantic comedies get churned out each year, with the end purpose being “getting the guy?” Our society is buried in crap so far that we couldn’t smell fresh air in a wind tunnel!
Got off topic. Yes they are sell outs, but they picked commercial success over artistic integrity, basically. It’s not black and white, but on the scales, they’ve weighed the money side down.
@Jover “What makes me laugh is that the ppl defending Beyonce/Jay-Z act like these two maroons are there friends – Beyonce cares only about herself.”
Funny how you accuse ppl of acting like B & J are their friends but then you turn around and act like you know who they are, what they’ve dontated to charity, and what they’re like as people…
btw- simple google search “Beyonce charity donations” “Jay-z charity donation” – they’ve donated millions. Don’t particularly love either of them but at least they give back!
Jay Z and Beyonce are both sell outs. Whether you like them or not this is fact.
Watch the “Beautiful Liar” video with Beyonce and Shakira and you will see Shakira blows Beyonce away in that one. One scene they are leaning against the wall, I think around the end of the video, and Bey looks like some kind of bull shaking around while Shakira is so rhythmic. Beyonce always looks like a hooker shaking it on stage. That being said I do like a number of her songs and I would rather watch her and listen to her music than that talentless blob hick Britney.
@kia
Your comment was priceless! LOL!!
i’m no expert, but i do love jay-z! his rhymes are often clever, and his beats compelling. when you go to his concerts, as i do, it’s wall to wall hits, and a professional engaging show, always. (did anyone else see his 9/11 new york show? great and moving.)
he’s making the music of his time, and he’s making it well. frank sinatra could not achieve jay-like celebrity these days. different times call for different music.
i dont believe that every entertainer has to be a role model. i dont subscribe to jays system of beliefs. i could care less about having expensive things or getting bottles at a club, etc. i do subscribe to his beats and rhythms. hes just an entertainer. i look elsewhere for the truth.
🙂
I LOVE Jigga’s music, the man is 40 yrs old, he has changed, so what..how many raps can you write about the ghetto and drugs..he is a business man so what.
a married business man, folks want everything and everyone to stay the same.
Unless you remain 100% true to yourself and never attempt to do anything that sets you apart and makes you money, you ARE a sellout. 99.8% of all entertainers are sellouts. It just is what it is and it’s the nature of the business. Like a friend of mine once said “I could play in the subway for coins or sell out a little, wear the suit, take the meeting, change the production a little, and put food on the table. I’ll sell out, thank you very much. I like to eat. I can do things my way when I can afford to”
Alex 37 I checked Beyonce’s charitable contributions: yes, she’s made some but she and Jay-Z made 122 million in 2009 their charitable contributions are minimal. You still didn’t respond to my query as why ppl get so visceral and defensive when defending Beyonce. Look, if she were a true artist creating unique and original music that’s one thing but as posters endlessly have repeated her music is lame generic vapid pop. Defend her if you will but she’s as plastic as they come. Tonight I will watch something truly great that has withstood the test of time: the Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana at Woodstock DVDs. Think anyone will be listening to Beyonce 40 years from now?
Beyonce will most certainly not stand the test of time. Few of the “megastars” of today will. I find her music shallow and useless, but of course, that is only my opinion.
She didn’t say Jay sold out…you got me all hyped up over nothing…
@kia: Well – there is always knitting!
I knitted a blanket for my daughter while I was pregnant. It turned out lopsided and horrible, but hey! I made it with love and she doesn’t see the uneven stitches.
The best thing that ever happened to Jay Z was the deaths of Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur. Every time I hear him yapping about his own prowess, I think of those two.
One of the most distasteful things I ever witnessed in my entire life was the spectacle of him rapping that awful New York song in Yankee Stadium and all the rich Westchester and Connecticut pseudo fans eating it up. It was astoundingly disgraceful to hear a former drug dealer reminisce about all the places he plied his trade and this was OKAY with parents there with their childtren. It was then that I knew the conspiracy was ON. That NO ONE had a problem with this.
Thanks Beck. My thoughts exactly. MIA is the coolest female performer of the aughts and beyond. Nobody can touch her style.
“Oh, because her marrying a man she loves who happens to be a billionaire renders her unfit to talk about keeping it “real”?”.
Or she might have married a billionaire who she just happens to love? Or she might have just married a billionaire? What first attracted you to Donald Trump, Melina?
Just being cynical…
i like her music, but i have to agree with kaiser,
she is married to a millionaire, and you better believe she knew who he was and who his daddy was upon first meeting,
the music industry is nasty especially right now with it’s decline, and there is nothing wrong with getting yourself some security and hey i am sure it is “love”
i don’t think she has the right to talk about “keeping it real.” seeing as well
i take her comments with a large grain of salt.
FIRST I DIDNT RIGHT JEALOUS HATER LIKE YOU DID AND SECOND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR PREGNANCY- HOPEFULLY YOUR CHILD WONT HAVE YOUR ATTITUDE WHEN ITS BORN!!!!
@ snowball
Right on the money/. This idea popped into my head literally one post before I read yours.
I think that he need to rethink the entire concept of “selling out” given the rhizomatic structure of a post-global society and especially of the increasingly complex interface between capitalistic and artistic interests. While it is true that some artists can completely forgo their vision in order to make money, I think for many legitimate artists it’s a rather convoluted thing. Rather like, product placement. Yes, it undermines a video with it’s intrusive peddling, but it also pays for the video to actually exist. Yes, you can and should weigh the push and pull of art vs. commercialism, but “selling out” has become too much of shibboleth with many becoming too didactic and preachy.
A fundamental difference that I don’t think M.I.A. takes into account is the difference in personality of Jay-Z and Nas. Jay-Z was never as bitterly caustic and critical as Nas and was always, therefore, going to have less accessibility than Jay-Z. This will always limit commercial pervasiveness. This is not “selling out” so much as an instrinsic difference in psychological gestalt. Jay-Z has always had an interest in other cultures and despite his conventional upbringing is not a conventional thinker. He was never going to remain inside of anyone’s box. He did what was necessary to promote himself as far as he could. To some that “selling out”. I just say that perhaps it’s not that simple.
what does this woman know about Jay Z???seriously? The difference between the two is that Jay Z is a much more successful business man and he is more than his music..that is why he is more famous than nas and way lot richer. what truth does nas rap about??? better yet what truth does she rap about?? i dont remember Jigga ever promising her any truths??? BTW Jay Z never needed Beyonce and vice versa. this woman is as random as hip hop artists come…lol…at least she was smart enuf to get knocked up by a billionaire.
Jay Z sure sold out alright to the dark side. But hey so have most of these Godless artists.
Whoever said she wouldn’t trade her life with B and Jay-Z! What a joke, you think they would trade lives with you? You are sittin behind the screen writing about them, what does that tell you? Regardless of what you think, they are smart business people, rolling in the cash. Keep on hating. Plus, enough with the stupid question of how much did they donate to charity. What if they didn’t donate anything? So what? Its their money, and they will donate if they wan to.
People always complain that someone is a sellout when they actually want something better for themselves; when they are smart business men & women.
M.I.A. was happy to do a collaboration with T.I., Kanye, and Jay-Z. Let her tell it he is a better rapper, lyricist and actually talks about relevant issues more than most musicians these days. So, she never said he was a sell-out because he has never shown anything to prove that. She just said because Nas isn’t as mainstream anymore doesn’t make his music less noteworthy.
Oh, and BTW, Jay-Z has 3 critically aclaimed albums. So, he is living proof that one can be mainstream and still release music with some integrity.
She is just telling it like it is. Face it, Jay-Z has always been about crass materialism and flaunting his wealth and status. Her comments about how he wants to own a casino were just the truth. There is no “selling out” for Jay-Z, because it’s what he’s always been about.
Geez, reading these comments, I can’t believe how many people by into Jay-Z’s image. He is nothing but a crass materialist, and self-absorbed asshole who corrupts everything he touches with his evil ways. I don’t care how many records he CLAIMS to have sold, outside of NYC and serious hip hop fans, no one cares about him . If you you were to believe his hubris, you’d think he was as big as Michael Jackson and the Beatles at the height of their popularity. Hell, even Guns N’ Roses appetite for destruction was a huger phenomenon than ANYTHING Jay-Z has made. I personally believe he cooks his music sales, as a laundering operation for his drug trafficking.
Secondly, all you people talking shit about Mya’s “extremist” dad probably never even heard of the Tamil Tigers before M.I.A came out. You have no idea of the kind of brutality and repression Tamils faced under the Sinhalese government so STFU!
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