M.I.A. Covers Complex, Talks Kanye, Nas & Jay-Z

M.I.A. covers the upcoming June/July issue of Complex Magazine and in her editorial she speaks on how she plans to raise a well-rounded kid as a superstar to her thoughts on Kanye and modern day hip-hop.

What was your impression of America when you were little?
M.I.A.: The first place I came to was L.A., and I just loved it. From the airplane looking out the window, the landscape just shines—all the lights are twinkling, all the cars are reflecting the sun. It was very Tinseltown. If you’re coming from Sri Lanka and you want to experience the West, that was the extreme end of Western civilization to me—the vastness of L.A. was truly different. I wasn’t impressed with New York, ’cause it’s a bigger version of London. But L.A. was kinda cool.

What do you like about hip-hop today?
M.I.A.: I think Kanye is trying to take it into a new realm and he’s sort of putting the artistry back into it and sort of taking it in that direction. I was having a conversation about Jay-Z and Nas and how it was really crazy how they were having this Nas vs. Jay-Z moment 10 years ago and no one really talks about it now.