Beat Diaspora: Beats, Buses, Bricks

While the divide between “mainstream” and “underground” orbits is far more permeable than the terms of would suggest in a world of viral marketing and major-label artists cutting mixtapes to bolster their street cred, I can safely say that the Grammy  are something like Jupiter – large, distant, and nebulous — so I usually don’t pay them much attention.

But tonight, a certain Sri Lankan by way of London was up for record of the year with “Paper Planes.”  She lost to Coldplay — surprise? — but did perform the PP-sampled “Swagga Like Us” with the “rap pack” in all her pregnant glory and on her due date.  I’m sure her maternity outfit will have the fashion bloggers up in arms (they already didn’t like her red carpet dress) and I doubt she had her ob/gyn’s permission, but I’ll unabashedly take of my hat to her hanging with the boys.  And, for that matter, giving the hyper-beauty contest of an awards show a big “fuck you.”

Unfortunately, there is a more delicate subtext that I want to get to.  The “Paper Planes” success story is a straightforward case of the song — and then portions of it — becoming increasingly divorced from its source in our sample-happy (free) culture.  It was the moderately successful lead (and Diplo/Switch-produced) single on a moderately successful sophomore album.  But it took off when used in the trailer for a stoner flick that generally had nothing to do with Maya’s purported set of concerns.  It got another cinematic boost with Slumdog Millionaire, which is much more in line with the third-world politics of M.I.A., causing the song to quickly outclipse the album.  As just one example, The NY Daily News explicitly calls the song “from the movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’” rather than from her album Kala. Meanwhile, the line “no one on the corner has swagga like us” got sampled by Jay-Z and T.I., who both used it as the hook for singles from their respective 2008 albums.  Both were nominated for “Best Rap Album,” which Lil’ Wayne just won — but when they cut to T.I. after mentioning “Paper Trail,” they actually played just the M.I.A. sample, not any lyrics that T.I. was singing.  If I had to guess, it’s the Hollywood hit and big-time rapper aspect that earned her the nomination, not a deep love of dancehall-bhangra-funk-dub-sampled mash-up fusion at the Recording Academy. That said, “O Saya,” a more distinctly Indian track, was nominated for an Oscar, so she’ll have a post-partum awards show to attend as well.

Having seen the film, I have to admit it’s a fitting soundtrack to the montage of plucky Jamal and Salim riding the rails to make a quick buck – either honestly or otherwise.  “Sometimes I feel like sitting on trains / Every stop I get to, I’m clocking that game / Everyone’s a winner now we’re making the fame / Bonafide hustler I’m making my name” resonates with that scene more than the tenuous “get high like planes” to the cannabis-themed Pineapple Express.  Instead, SD operates more at the level of “catch me at the border I’ve got visas in my name” in its vision of Mumbai crime world intrigue.

However, the use of “Paper Planes” is also was triggered my notion that perhaps SD is not by an Indian director – I hadn’t done my homework before heading to the theater.  Lo and behold, Danny Boyle is a Brit adapting an Indian novel.  I can only applaud his audaciousness at diving into such a deep story, where India – or at least Mumbai – is really at the heart, rather than serving as a backdrop for plot or character machinations like in Darjeeling Limited.  He’s also not shy about using spoken Hindi or Bollywood themes, although as a total novice in that arena I can’t speak to his choice of Indian music.

Nonetheless, it’s indicative of M.I.A.’s rise to not necessarily global stardom but certainly Western stardom – the kind where the Grammys convey prestige – that I heard “Paper Planes” and immediately questioned the Indian pedigree of SD.  Of course, she’s Sri Lankan and not Indian, which has a lot to do with that double take.  I’ve looked at a map long enough to know that the Palk Strait is there dividing the two.

But it brings me back to a question that has lingered for awhile whenever M.I.A.’s name pops to the surface.  What is her relationship to Sri Lanka?  Is it a prop – a backdrop – or a serious concern?  In that vein, I stumbled across a very accusatory remix-response to Paper Planes from Sri Lankan rapper DeLon.

*Violent, bloody footage — Vewer be warned*

I’m not about to wade into the  politics of a conflict that I don’t fully understand, but suffice to say in light of the very much ongoing upheaval, it’s still a pressing issue.  DeLon obviously has his own pro-government view and a definite agenda in cemeneting the Tamil Tigers = terrorist equation.  He clearly latches onto the U.S.’s own post-9/11 terror talk (see the quick shot of the Twin Towers), a questionable strategy, but he at least appears invested in his country and efforts toward peace.  His blog claims:

DeLon and Ceylon Records stand for peace. DeLon has spent many years funding non-profits in Sri Lanka, building homes for tsunami victims, helping those who are maimed from war, and speaking out against child soldiers. He is not someone who is just rapping. He actually DOES something about it through is tangible actions. This movement is to raise awareness about the situation in Sri Lanka, educate the youth about the destruction of war, and promote peace. It’s about making us think twice before we buy a CD that is built from the blood of innocent women, children, and civilians who die every day. It’s about thinking twice before we unknowingly support something that ultimately destroys humanity.

This is a lot bigger than DeLon or MIA. It’s bigger than even Sri Lanka. It’s about global peace, awareness, and real actions to help each other.

Sincerity?  A marketing push?  Another global hip-hop story with powerful interests behind it?

Whatever it is, DeLon certainly hammers home the lyrical irresponsibility of “some some some I some I murder / some I some I let go.”

I only wonder, had MIA won, what would she have said in an acceptance speech?  Anything about Sri Lanka?  Anything about the world she’s bringing her child into?