M.I.A. Talks Super Bowl, Versace Collaboration, & The Weeknd on Hot 97

To kick off her album release week, M.I.A. stopped by Hot 97 for a sit-down interview with Peter Rosenberg, Cipha Sounds, and Laura Stylez. The controversial singer, who is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the NFL, opened up about the Super Bowl controversy.

She even met the man who was in charge of censoring her performance and they struck up a friendship. “It was a battle of the fingers,” she said.

Her bootleg-inspired collaboration with Versus Versace is now in stores. But she admitted that the pricey collection can be had for less on the streets. “Some of the bootleg stuff is actually better than the real Versace,” she said.

She samples The Weeknd on “Exodus” and “Sexodus” off Matangi. “I feel like The Weeknd probably is gonna inspire a whole generation of babies being born,” she said of the Canadian crooner. “In 18 years we’ll find out there was a little peak in the population, then I’d put that down to The Weeknd.”

Plus, hear her break down the lyrics to “Paper Planes.”