!!The Singer:
%%* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic - The red band trailer of ''Film/PineappleExpress'' was easily the best use of "Paper Planes" of 2008.
* BrokenBase:
** One half loves ''MAYA'', while the other half hates it.
** To a lesser extent "Come Around" ft. Music/{{Timbaland}} off of ''Music/{{Kala}}'' is either a fun and catchy song with a different sound or a shameful piece of mainstream trash.
* MemeticMutation: ALL I WANNA DO IS '''*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*''' AND *click* *ca-'''CHING'''* AND TAKE YOUR MO-NAY.
* NightmareFuel: The violent finale of the music video for "Born Free", where dozens of redheaded young men are sent running out into a minefield by an oppressive police force as a metaphor for genocide. [[{{Gorn}} The results are not pretty...]]
* SampledUp:
** "Paper Planes" samples the lesser-known Music/TheClash song "Straight to Hell."
** "URAQT" samples... the theme song from ''Series/SanfordAndSon''?
** "Meds & Feds" samples "Treats" by Sleigh Bells but speeds it up and gives it a harsher sound.
** "Born Free" samples "Ghost Rider" by Music/{{Suicide|Band}} for its signature synth pulse. Suicide's keyboardist even performed the song live with M.I.A. on ''Series/LateNight with Creator/DavidLetterman''.
* SignatureSong: "Paper Planes". "XXXO" and "Bad Girls" are also well known, with the latter being used in a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' skit.
%%* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: ''MAYA''.
* VindicatedByHistory: ''MAYA'' received a huge amount of derision for its harsh, distorted, chaotic sound and an introduction that claimed your iPhone connected you to Google and the Government. As the decade went on, it became commonly accepted fact that Silicon Valley was in cahoots with the government, and artists such as Music/DeathGrips, Music/KanyeWest, and Music/{{clipping}}. received widespread critical acclaim for the same noisy sound design that got MIA panned.
* WildMassGuessing: Based on M.I.A's discography up to "Mathangi". One could theorize that her albums are a sort of biography of her life:
** "Arular", named after her father, reflects on her early childhood memories and the circumstances that led her family (excluding dad) to the UK.
** "Kala", after her mother, could be her growing up in West London as a Sri Lankan refugee, which would definitely shape her work later in life.
** "MAYA" shows her recent life, having gained world recognition and fortune, getting married and on the way of becoming a mother: living the life of a bona-fide Hollywood celebrity (not something she-a refugee of civil war from London-would ever have though of becoming as an adult). It was obviously a time of transitions and uneasiness for her (news sources say she basically felt uncomfortable in LA).
** The album "Mathangi", may be her hopes for the future, now settled with her son and once again travelling the world.