M.I.A.’s New Song Is A Long-Awaited Return To Form

Listen to “Poc That Still A Ryda”

by daniel barna

The summer of M.I.A. is officially upon us. On Wednesday, the rapper released a new song from her forthcoming LP, Matahdatah, signaling that the album's release is imminent. The song is called "Poc That Still A Ryda," and according to M.I.A. herself, it’s "a mix of all the songs on my upcoming Lp.”

M.I.A. also dropped a lo-fi video for the song featuring a squad of horses galloping through the desert. "Had to do a remix to let u know, i been poor, i been rich, i been brown, i been black, i seen white and i been around the world a few times ay ay ay ay," she captioned the video. "LOVE IS THE ANSWER what the question is i don’t f*cking know.”

As expected, M.I.A. tackles polarizing issues like race and politics on the track, and, at one point, addresses the criticism she faced for her incendiary comments on the Black Lives Matters movement. "I set this truck on fire/I’m here for every color/Including Black Lives Matter,” she raps, over a trademark exotic beat.

The hugely anticipated release of Matahdatah has been wrapped in legal red tape thanks to M.I.A.'s highly publicized visa issues. According to the U.K. rapper, she’s delivered what's going to be her last LP to her U.S. label, and it's "up to them if it's released." She also said that her legal troubles will prevent her from promoting the album stateside. 

Until that gets sorted out, check out "Poc That Still A Ryda," above.