M.I.A IS DOING BIG THINGS IN VARIOUS WAYS

If the world has woken up to M.I.A., so have her musical peers. Hip-hop artist T.I. teamed up with rap elites Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne, sampling a portion of “Paper Planes” into his own track, “Swagga Like Us.” M.I.A.’s magic mojo appears to have rubbed off, as T.I.’s new album Paper Trail recently debuted at #1.

Reenergized, re-recognized, and reverberating worldwide, M.I.A. will release the How Many Votes Fix Mix on iTunes October 28th (and everywhere else November 4th.) The Digital EP will feature a remix Boyz featuring Jay-Z as well as two unreleased tracks: “Shells” and “Far Far.”

And as the world takes to Kala, M.I.A. takes on the world—literally. This past August, Maya Arulpragasam (aka, M.I.A.) partnered with non-profit organization Youth Action International and opened the rebuilt and renovated Becky Primary School in Liberia. New additions include more classrooms, a library, computer labs, and a new playground. Plus, free tuition for its 625 students. She also launched her own clothing line, featuring T-shirts, jackets, and hoodies of her own design.

www.youthactioninternational.org/yai

M.I.A. started her own label, N.E.E.T., which stands for Not in Education, Employment, or Training. Her first signing is Baltimore’s own Rye Rye, whose debut album is due early next year.

www.myspace.com/mia