Like many M.I.A. fans, I couldn’t have been happier last summer when her absolutely sublime single "Paper Planes" finally caught the public’s attention, more than six months after its release, largely thanks to its use in promos for Pineapple Express. Also, like many M.I.A. fans, I was less impressed with the subsequent string of hip-hop mixtapes that included a quick sample of the song as M.I.A. became the genre’s it girl for a minute. I’m sure she’s thrilled to be included in hop-hop’s cool kids club, and I’m not surprised she was elated to share the stage at the Grammys alongside royalty like Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I., and Kanye West — and being nine-months pregnant, she probably appreciated the help. But personally, I’m disappointed that M.I.A. isn’t getting the spotlight to herself, and I was let down 30 seconds into last night’s performance (which, like most of those big-stage, all-star hip-hop performances, resulted in a whole less than the sum of its parts) when it turned out to be the Jay-Z-T.I. song "Swagga Like Us" and not the M.I.A. song used as the hook.
I’ve been an M.I.A. disciple since "Galang" and I’m stoked to see her uncompromising music ("All I wanna do is POP! POP! POP! POP!") reaching the masses. But I still feel it’s too bad that the second she goes mainstream, she’s reduced to the sampled line "No one on the corner has swagger like us." Don’t get me wrong — that is a sweet, sweet line. But I don’t need a celebrity endorsement to appreciate it.
Anyone else let a bit let down by the Grammy’s decision to drown M.I.A. and the REAL record of the year in a sea of A-List MCs last night? What other highlights and disappointments from the ceremony caught your attention?
More Grammys:
Grammys: The 2009 winners
M.I.A. to perform nine-months pregnant: It’s the Grammys, baby!
Grammys: Best/worst performances
Grammys 2009: Best/worst style
Grammys: Live blogging the 2009 awards ceremony!
Comments (1-30) of 282 Add your comment
Don’t know who MIA is but she was pretty funny last night in her lady bug outfit. Lil Wayne, royalty?? Enjoyed Justin and Neyo a whole lot better than the 5 rappers (?).
Here are highlights. Whitney still on crack!!!! J Hud brining tears to my eyes. Jonas Bros continuing to stink up the stage (and forget the lyrics).
that was the dopest performance of the night. i rewound it twice, right during the show. what are you talking about? loved, loved, loved it. plus, MIA was due yesterday. amazing performance.
She is nominated for song of the year and they give her just the hook in the performance. That is messed up.
Couldn’t agree more Mike. She puts out two classic albums and she still can’t get the spotlight to herself. I’m beginning to think people are afraid of what she’ll say given her uncompromising lyrics. Jay-z’s great and all but MIA is so much more than a hook artist for one of his fairly predictable songs.
i would of loved to see her perform her tune and then maybe in the second verse with the like swagger like us.. jay and dem come in but she shouldn’t be there cause she was expecting that same night..im just happy everything went ok
i heart m.i.a. more than anyone
, but logistically speaking i don’t think it would have been practical to schedule a solo performance on her due date… clearly there was a chance that she wouldn’t have been able to perform
The biggest thing that irritated me last night was their emphasis on the “old guys”. Did we really need to see Stevie Wonder twice? Paul McCartney again?! C’mon–Neil Diamond?! B.B. King just about EVERY YEAR?! The ratings always suck. Maybe because NARAS can’t seem to put together a new, fresh show. “Hey, let’s have Neil Diamond talk through Sweet Caroline instead of having MIA do a complete song! The 18-40’s will love that!”.
Rap pack??? Talentless goons. I loved Kanye’s Lionel Ritchie hairdo though.
I was so bummed that it wasn’t just M.I.A. I’d be mad about it, but I’m not sure someone so pregnant could have put in a solid 3 minute performance. Still, I hope she doesn’t have to share the spotlight next year.
It was great that M.I.A. was there, but there’s no way she could have done a solo act. If you noticed, she was even singing along to a track during the performance. Her voice simply isn’t strong enough right now.
I loved this performance. I think M.I.A. is lucky to have been on the same stage with these guys. They have paid their dues. She held her own though and I would love to see more of her (minus that outfit and hairstyle.)
MIA
ROCKED IT
PREGO OUTFIT IN ALL
SHE IS THE TRUTH
Kanye west singing that he’s christopher columbus as he drowns everyone out with his presence is far from awesome. This is the second time, recently, that I’ve seen Kanye fall short of awesome in my book. MIA is not just a hip hop it-girl – she stands apart. I didn’t appreciate this total live mash up at all. She could have done it herself.
Come on!! MIA KILLED it last night, it was her due date and she definitely held her own with the best rappers of our time. I listened to nothing the guys said, my eyes were glued to her. She did an outstanding job, best performance of the night. Do your thing mama!! Loves it.
I think M.I.A. is fantastic, but I agree with a lot of the other posters: the fact that she was even there performing at all while she is 9 months pregnant is very impressive, but I don’t think it would have been possible for her to perform the full song by herself in her condition. That is an awful lot of work to ask your body to do while you are getting ready to deliver. Also, I like “Swagger Like Us” and I thought it was a pretty good performance. Hopefully next year M.I.A. will be able to show the masses what she can do…
It was M.I.A.’s due date yesterday. I don’t think it would’ve been smart for her to have a solo. By herself on stage. With her just singing the chorus with the guys surrounded around her made sense. Cuz if that water had broke, 4 guys would’ve carried her out of stage and straight to her “organized transportation”.
Anywho, it was still a great performance. My sis & I rewinded that performance a good 5 times. Primarily cuz of Kanye and his awesomeness. I’m still mad that he has the audacity to sport a mullet, though.
BORING! I think every other number was rap. People work lifetimes to become amazing, talented, skilled musicians…and the music world holds up people who freaking CHANT to a beat as if they have extraordinary talent.
Face it, rappers are absolutely not masters of music. There are a few who can arrange and write – and that should be recognized.
Not a country fan, here, but Carrie Underwood has some amazing pipes.
The teens on the show were definitely not the best of the best.
Josh Groban, whose album beat Elvis’ as the most popular Christmas album of all time, did not win. That guy is an extraordinary talent! Sings, plays 3 instruments, writes, arranges…no award.
Sad that the grammy is a joke now. They do NOT give it to the best, but to whomever might raise their Neilsen rating.
Jennifer Hudson absolutely deserved it!
So my suggestion for next years’ grammy planners? Music, please. Reward excellence.
I LIKED THE JONAS BROS & STEVIE WONDER MEDLEY, IT WAS A CUTE PERFORMANCE. I ALSO ENJOYED J-HUDSON, SHE MOVED ME TO TEARS. THE PERFORMERS WERE GOOD & SINCE I NEVER HEARD OF M.I.A. I WAS GLAD TO SEE THE SWAGGA LIKE US RAPPERS ALL DRESSED UP!
“Mom of 3″ I agree with you. The JONAS BROTHERS AND STEVIE WONDER ROCKED IT LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!
They should of won, big time!
This is a silly article. Without those guys, no one would even know about M.I.A. So, what good would a solo performance by a pregnant, unknown artist do for ratings or your magazine. People buy Jay-Z and Kanye West, not M.I.A. and that would include M.I.A.
Yep, Whitney Houston still has a case of the crazy, even if she’s been all spit-shined and sparkled. But love to see her back. Jennifer Hudson was stunned by her win, and stunned with a performance that brought to bear everything she’d been through in the past few months. And I’ll never get the appeal of Robert Plant & Alison “Fan’s Best Friend” Krauss.
Radiohead was the standout moment for me, getting all Fleetwood Mac circa 1979 with their performance of “15 Step.”
I would have like to heard MIA by herself (and was singing it with her when it came on). She could have been given a stool and had those guys dance around HER song… They didn’t write Paper Planes, she did! Let her have her own spotlight! She is decent!
the awards was awesome!!!! i liked it! i really liked mia and how all of em got 2gather!!! THEY GOT 2 DO IT AGAIN!!!
Also, Jonas Brothers were seriously rockin and into their guitars. They can play! And sing! They were having a great time and it was great to see. Looked like Stevie was happy to have meet people who can rock like he does! That was really nice to see. They got a standing ovation and deserved it!
M.I.A. was the only interesting part of that tuneless, horrific mess on stage. They needed to have a giant trap door to swallow up the “royalty” so M.I.A. could perform solo.
the music was too loud and the mics were too low. The lyrics were decent (you can pay for school, but you can’t buy class-JayZ) And I don’t even like Jay Z like that (or anyone who takes the blasphemous name HOVA, better stop playin wit my Lord!) Got to give em his props in the writing. If we could hear it! (guitar was decent but loud)
Her outfit was gross. I hate that stupid planes song. I am tired of allt his india inspired crap.
I really enjoyed this years Grammys which was a surprise to me because most music award shows are awful. The only performances I really didn’t care for were Kenny Chesney(I like the country women but, the guys stink for the most part), Jonas Bros. screwing up Superstition not a good look, and Kid Rock not so good. Highlights J Hud, MIA & Rap pack, Radiohead, Adele and Sugarland, McCartney and Grohl, Al Green and JT.
Miley Cyrus absolutely ruined Taylor’s song. I almost had to turn down the volume it was so awful to hear. Worst duet of the night!