M.I.A. Reminds Us She’s Living Her Best Life On “Popular” Single

BYHayley Hynes4.2K Views
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The 47-year-old British rapper is gearing up for the arrival of her “MATA” album.

Female rap artists are showing their stuff this weekend, between new arrivals from Megan Thee Stallion and English rapper M.I.A.

The latter shared her “This One” single back in May, and today (August 12), she’s returned with an upbeat dance track called “Popular” that finds her flaunting her confidence effortlessly both on the track and in the music video.

A press release notes that the single arrives ahead of a highly anticipated studio album called MATA, which will premiere via Island Records. The music was recorded around the world in London, Los Angeles, Italy, Bali, Jakarta, and St. Vincent, and “signifies a compelling new era for the multi-talented artist and activist.”

M.I.A. hasn’t announced a release date for her upcoming body of work, but if the first singles are anything to judge it by, we’re in for a serious treat.

Stream “Popular” on Apple Music below, and tap back in with HNHH later for more music updates.

Quotable Lyrics:

Gold and curly, brown and worldly
Packed in a 5'5" body
Give me the mic and I slay somebody
I hope you're all gonna be ready
'Cause I'm proper gonna pop it
Make you go cop it
You can never stop it, people wanna tap it, tap it
When I talk, I rap it, all of them are puppet
One in a billion, I guess you got lucky 


About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.
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