Rap-Up.com || Video: M.I.A.

Underneath M.I.A.’s tough exterior, there’s a soft side. The Sri Lankan rabble-rouser goes glam as an Iranian princess dripping in gold in the long-awaited video for “XXXO,” the first single from her third album /\/\/\Y/\.

While she may have her beefs with the Internet, love prevails in the glossy clip co-directed by Hype Williams and M.I.A. YouTube windows, iChat conversations, and animated graphics including leopards, swans, unicorns, and roses pop up on the screen, but Maya’s most famous asset—her mouth—remains the center of attention.

Do you ♥ M.I.A.’s new video? Watch and tell us below!

Posted in M.I.A., Music Videos | Permalink

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34 Comments

HipHopDiva
August 11th, 2010 at 9:26 am
DOPE!
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loz
August 11th, 2010 at 9:39 am
i thought this was the version with jayz in :(
but still good.
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MaZ
August 11th, 2010 at 9:43 am
Love the cheap internet graphics, reminds me of some arab greeting cards!
She’s beautiful in it. Love the concept!
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melissa
August 11th, 2010 at 9:58 am
I LOVE IT!
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Dillon_68
August 11th, 2010 at 10:11 am
I like it, she’s pretty!
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kani k.
August 11th, 2010 at 10:19 am
Oddly beautiful..
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Owen
August 11th, 2010 at 10:28 am
bitch copied rihanna/
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Sly B.
August 11th, 2010 at 10:30 am
Not feeling the video too much, love the beat.
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Alex
August 11th, 2010 at 10:38 am
@Owen Rihanna copied her first. MIA has been making her videos like that. Youtube “boyz”by MIA
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This Aint It
August 11th, 2010 at 10:50 am
Epic fail. She had people waiting for months to see what this video was gonna look like and this is the final product r u serious? This video makes Hype Williams look like an amateur music video director. Horrible just Horrible.
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cari s.
August 11th, 2010 at 11:02 am
@Owen Are you serious? Nobody wants to copy Rihfund. Nobody wants to sell their tour tickets for just 10 dollars, be nominated for just one irrelevant MTV award and rely on rappers to have number 1 hits.
Great song by the way and the video’s pretty cool too. (M.I.A.’s ‘XXXO’) !
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CIARA'S #1 "RIDE" BITCHES!!!!!
August 11th, 2010 at 11:17 am
UMMMMMM WHOAAA GET THE FACTS STR8!!!!! M.I.A HAS BEEN DOING THIS SINCE 2004……LEAVE rihALIEN out of this that #FAIL HAS NEVERRRR been creativee!!!! GAGA & rihTARD copied this CHICK RIGHT HERE 1st soooo PLEASE SAVE IT!!!!!! & M.I.A gettin’ MORE TICKET SALES and fans @ her concert than 5HEAD so u #FAIL!!!!!
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Sly B.
August 11th, 2010 at 11:35 am
@Owen rihanna is the baddest, we know, M.I.A can try, but it aint working.
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Owen
August 11th, 2010 at 11:58 am
@ Carli S. LMFAO Seriously? I love this song, but M.I.A. is the biggest flop of the deticate.
14 Interesting M.I.A. Facts.
1. Her first album most sucessfuly peak was #20 on the Norwegian Albums Chart. It was #98 in UK and #190 in the U.S.
2. Her first single “Sunshowers” was only sucessful in Canada.
3. Her second single “Galang” was only sucessful in Canada.
4. Her first single from her second album “Boys” had minor sucess mainly in Canada again.
5. Her second album “Kala” only sold alittle over 600,000 copies worldwide to date.
6. It’s second single Jimmy was only sucessful in Tokio.
7. “Paper Planes” is her only sucessful song to date.
8. She has a werid, dumb, gross, and nasty video to Born Free that only someone as werid, dumb, gross, and nasty as her would come up with.
9. Her first single of Maya was only sucessful in the UK.
10. She recently spit in a photographers face. So classy.
11. Her newest effort “Maya” has sold less than 60,000 copies worldwide so far.
12. It’s highest debut was in Canada.
13. Several dates People vs. Money Tour were cancelled due to poor ticket sales (I think 14 dates)
14. Her son’s name is Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman
@CIARA’S #1 “RIDE” BITCHES!!!!!
You mean she has been FLOPPING sence 2004. *rolls eyes* M.I.A. don’t get better ticket sales LMAO & if she had more fans she would have a better peak than #9 on the billboard top 200 for her lastest flop of a album.
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Rawr
August 11th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
LOL this video reminds me of myspace LOL
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Rawwd
August 11th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
@ Owen
#1 – Record labels care about ticket sales and what place they end up on billboard charts.
#2 – The Consumer cares about listening to good music we want to hear.
A song going to number one on the charts doesn’t make it sound any better.
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MaZ
August 11th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
@This Aint It
This is probably one of the best Hype Williams video. Most creative!
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mesouth
August 11th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
@Owen
u are embarrassing. who are u? a CEO? just listen to music and try not to give a darn about sales and charts. People like u has no concept of music. I’m not talkin about who u like listening to I’m talkin about the fact that u report numbers and sales. Music is supposed to inspire (as Lauryn Hill sings on “Superstar”).
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MaZ
August 11th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
I HATE VEVO! Can’t see the video again!! F*ck them!
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mesouth
August 11th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
and please don’t even mention Rihanna what we talk about M.I.A.
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PEOPLE MAK EME LAUGH!
August 11th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Wow, Did they really justsay M.I.A. copied Rihanna? M.I.A. has copied no one. And seriously? SHE DOESN’T CARE HOW MANY ALBUMS SHE SELLS! AND PAPER PLANES WASN’T EVEN MEANT TO BECOME A HIT! SO YOU GO LISTEN TO YOUR JUSTIN BIEBER, LADY GAGA, DISNEY CHANNEL SINGERS WHO CAN’T EVEN SING AND ALL THAT SHXT ON THE RADIO AND LEAVE M.I.A. OUT OF YOUR MOUTH.
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zolo
August 11th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
how did she copy rihanna exactly ?
and lol @Owen some of the worst music of all time has been majorly successful and some of the best has ‘flopped’.
for example kesha and uffie.
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Owen
August 11th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
@zolo you flop. Ke$ha is some of the best music of all time.
& M.I.A. sucks hard. You guys are funny *laughs*
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Christina
August 11th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
I was wondering how the M.I.A. fans on here would react to this mess. Delusional as always…
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A Realist
August 11th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
I actually like this. Lol. And I think she’s a very pretty girl and I LOVE this song.
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Lett It Go
August 11th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Dope as hell! M.I.A. x Hype Williams= Smash!
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womp
August 11th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
@ Owen “Ke$ha is some of the best music of all time.” Good lord, what are you, a 13 year old girl? Kesha is a disgrace to music, and her 15 minutes of fame are winding down… tik tok.
And in case you didn’t notice, which you probably didn’t as you’re clearly ignorant, M.I.A. has never been about selling records, nor has she ever been mainstream. Her first two albums were critically acclaimed, Where are Keshit’s album ratings? lmao!!
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Mike
August 11th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
Not bad. She looks gorgeous though.
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kani k.
August 11th, 2010 at 7:38 pm
I can’t believe people are embracing commercial lame asses like rihanna.
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Andrew
August 11th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Hmm..
This video is not TERRIBLE, but it’s not great. There is nothing interesting about it, it’s entirely flat, and the graphics are super boring, considering what they are (unicorn, swans etc)
I understand the concept and appreciate the merging of cultures and emotions, but overall, it’s just poorly done.
Hype Williams is one of the worst video directors of all time.
-”Massive Attack” has a scene with Nicki’s belt blatantly falling off (2:51) + there are other consistency issues.
The rest are all the same bullshit with sloppy consistency issues and cheesy blowing fabric. Ick!
as for you, @Owen, you big shameful dumb ass.
1. Her first album most sucessfuly peak was #20 on the Norwegian Albums Chart. It was #98 in UK and #190 in the U.S.
2. Her first single “Sunshowers” was only sucessful in Canada.
3. Her second single “Galang” was only sucessful in Canada.
4. Her first single from her second album “Boys” had minor sucess mainly in Canada again.
5. Her second album “Kala” only sold alittle over 600,000 copies worldwide to date.
6. It’s second single Jimmy was only sucessful in Tokio.
12. It’s highest debut was in Canada.
^^^ Maybe it’s time you looked at the fact that all of these countries (namely Japan – btw, it’s TOKYO, not “Tokio” – and Canada) are acknowledging new, emerging talent quicker and without bias than the USA.
7. “Paper Planes” is her only sucessful song to date.
^^^ The fact that you point that out in comparison to points 1-6 + 12 shows me that your idea of “successful” is if it charts high in the USA. that ALONE tells me you’re a dumb ass. She’s been making money since 2004.
8. She has a werid, dumb, gross, and nasty video to Born Free that only someone as werid, dumb, gross, and nasty as her would come up with.
^^^ first of all *weird (proof-read your shit, fool)
^^^ second of all, maybe you don’t understand the concept of the video, which is why it’s “werid, dumb, gross and nasty”. Maybe if it had half naked girls, champaign spilling everywhere and money being tossed around, it would make more sense?
Get real. Open your brain up and get some sense into it. The video is highlighting the idea of prejudice against minorities.
14. Her son’s name is Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman
^^^ LOL. Sorry everyone can’t have an awesome, unique, approachable name as Owen.
HA.
With all that being said, I think she’s a talented performer who needs to check herself before she wrecks herself with a shitty video like this and a shitty album that lost the amazingness she had in Arular and Kala.
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CIARA'S #1 "RIDE" BITCHES!!!!!
August 11th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
Is this idiot @Owen serious!? Yeah because using auto-tune & making crappy pop music (all that Kesha is) is the best music of all time….you are a truly stupid boy….& M.I.A doesn’t choose to be as mainstream as others hence why she’s not as big….she’s more underground I bet her LIMEWIRE Downloads pass “RATED FLOP”…..but anyway I went to a show and it was crazy packed some over 15,000 who actually want music not some stupid chick who doesn’t know if she’s island music then pop music….I guess after they saw how horrible she was live or how bad her album is she moved tickets to $9.55 & a two for 1 deal!! & her tickets are RETURNABLE!!!! Your not supposed to be allowed to return tickets….rihFUND is a ULTIMATE-FAIL!!!
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pjirani
August 13th, 2010 at 12:16 am
that is not iranian that’s arabic there’s huge difference between these 2!
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woww!
August 19th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Kesha is a lesbian, drunk, white trash hick! Haha! M.I.A. is my favorite artist of all time I think. And today, her protege Rye Rye (another one of my favorite artists) is performing with Kesha and Spank (why would Rye Rye perform with them?) Ha. Rye Rye’s album is going to be fire. That Owen guy has no idea what he is talking about.
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cOdEy
November 18th, 2010 at 4:06 am
ive been a fan since day1 . . .if m.i.a wanted 2 b big she wouldve been. . .buT she choOses nOt 2 may i mension paper planes waz number 1 in s.a 4 11 weeks . . . RirI is also 1 of my favouritez. . . They both amazing!
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