M.I.A. dropped her game-changing sophomore album Kala 10 years ago today. While the project is most widely recognized for its hit single “Paper Planes”—which helped launch Diplo to international stardom—it remains a critically-acclaimed project that pushed the boundaries of pop music. Primarily produced by M.I.A. and British DJ and songwriter Switch, Kala also features beats from Diplo, Timbaland, Morganics, and Blaqstarr. Inspired by the U.S. government’s refusal to issue her a visa because she “matched the profile of a terrorist,” M.I.A. traveled the world while recording Kala to collect sounds from cultures across the globe.
In honor of Kala’s 10th anniversary, Genius put together an overview of the album’s many samples, gathered from artists from four different continents:
Produced by: M.I.A. & Switch
Samples: S. P. Balasubrahmanyam & K. J. Yesudas, “Kaatu Kuyilu” & The Modern Lovers, “Roadrunner”
“Bamboo Banga” samples “Kaatu Kuyilu,” a track from the 1991 Tamil-language Bollywood crime drama Thalapathi. Switch and M.I.A. borrow drums from the track for the “Bamboo Banga” intro:
M.I.A. also flips lyrics from The Modern Lovers‘ 1976 song “Roadrunner,” rapping:
Road runner, road runner
Going hundred mile per hour
With your radio on
Produced by: M.I.A. & Switch
Samples: R.P. Patnaik, “Thiruvizhannu Vandha”
In the 2003 romance/action movie Jayam, the song “Thiruvizhannu Vandha” by famous South Indian film score composer R.P. Patnaik soundtracks a classic Bollywood dance sequence. M.I.A. and Switch built “Bird Flu” around the song’s drums, adding the distinctive chicken squawks and melody on top.
Produced by: M.I.A. & Switch
Samples: Pavarti Khan, “Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja”
M.I.A.’s “Jimmy” borrows its chorus from “Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja” by Pavarti Khan, a song from the 1982 Bollywood movie Disco Dancer. The film was immensely popular throughout Asia and Europe, becoming one of the first Bollywood movies to achieve worldwide success.
Produced by: M.I.A. & Morganics
Samples: The Wilcannia Mob, “Down River”
For “Mango Pickle Down River,” Morganics and M.I.A. reworked the 2002 single “Down River” by The Wilcannia Mob, an indigenous Australian rap group. M.I.A. samples the song’s verses and beat on her track.
Produced by: Switch
Samples: Pixies, “Where Is My Mind?”
One of the most famous samples on Kala is the rework of Pixies‘ classic 1988 song “Where Is My Mind?” on “20 Dollar.”
M.I.A. borrows from the first verse of Pixies' song for her chorus, singing:
With your feet on the air
Your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it – yeah!
Your head’ll collapse, when there’s nothin' in it
And you’ll ask yourself
Where is my mind?
Produced by: M.I.A., Switch, & Blaqstarr
Samples: Blaqstarr, “Hands Up Thumbs Down”
On “World Town,” M.I.A. takes a snippet of the beat and melody from Baltimore producer Blaqstarr’s 2003 track “Hands Up Thumbs Down” featuring K-Swift, a classic Baltimore club track.
On the song’s chorus, M.I.A. sings:
Hands up! (a ni ni ni ni)
Guns out! (a ni ni ni ni)
Represent (a ni ni ni ni)
The world town (a ni ni ni ni)
Produced by: Diplo
Samples: The Clash, “Straight to Hell” & Wreckx-N-Effect, “Rump Shaker”
The most recognizable sample on Kala is undoubtedly The Clash’s “Straight to Hell,” which M.I.A., Switch, and Diplo flipped into the beat of “Paper Planes.” The track originally appeared on The Clash’s 1982 album Combat Rock and—just like M.I.A.’s song—addresses immigration issues in the U.S. and the U.K.
M.I.A. also borrows from Wreckx-N-Effect’s 1992 hit “Rump Shaker.” She interpolates the original song’s chorus:
All I wanna do is zoom-a-zoom-zoom-zoom
And a poom-poom – JUST SHAKE YA RUMP
Produced by: Timbaland
Samples: Shamur, “Let the Music Play”
M.I.A. planned to travel to the U.S. to work with Timbaland but was denied a visa, sparking the global trek that inspired the sound of Kala. The pair worked together eventually on “Come Around,” which offers a glimpse at what M.I.A.’s album might have sounded like. The vocal sample on the “Come Around” beat is taken from “Let the Music Play,” a 2006 track by Italian house music trio Shamur.
Research courtesy of Genius and WhoSampled
