VH1 100 GREATEST WOMEN: M.I.A.

Forget the antics, and some of the stuff she's said in interviews.  M.I.A. has made some of the best music since the turn of the millennium.  You can never box her in: she's hip-hop, she's dance, and at least in spirit, she's punk rock. But she doesn't conform to the rules of any of those genres.

Her 2005 debut Arular knocked the music world on its ass.  The song "Galang" (co-written by her one-time roomate, Justine Frischmann, formerly of elastica) just sounded so different. 2007's Kala featured the Clash-sampling "Paper Planes" (itself sampled by Jay-Z, T.I., Kanye West and Lil Wayne on their hit, "Swagga Like Us"). That album brought her to another level, especially after "Swagga" (and her memorable performance at the Grammys, while incredibly pregnant).

I thought 2010's Maya would bring her to the next level, especially because her song "XXXO" seemed like a huge hit (it wasn't). It probably should have been the first single, but instead she went with the Suicide-sampling "Born Free" (which had one of the heaviest videos you'll ever see).

I don't think her Super Bowl antics will ultimately help her out too much, but I for one am looking forward to her next album, and I hope that people can hear it with an open mind.

M.I.A. - MAYA - TIE FOR #11

In 2010, it seemed like lots of people talked about M.I.A., but not as many people played the music from her Maya album. She's getting a bit like Kanye - she says lots of crap in the press that potentially distracts from her music.  And that's too bad: she's a consistently interesting artist.  She actually is an "alternative": not "alternative" in the marketing sense, but someone who really does her own thing.

Which isn't to say that she can't write great hit songs: I thought that "XXXO" was going to be her breakthrough hit, it's like a classic '80s new wave single. On the other hand, she can be incredibly abrasive, as she was on "Born Free" (the video got a lot more attention than the actual song).

Her music used to appeal mainly to hipsters.  A lot of that kind of music comes off as either insincere or bloodless, and M.I.A. is neither of those.  But she has such charisma, she ignores genre boundaries, and she isn't afraid to be confrontational.  I think with a few more anthemic songs, she could be like a Jane's Addiction for a new generation.  Just my opinion!  I really dug the Maya album and I'm looking forward to hear what she does next.