Genre-bending MC burns up 9:30 club

Media Credit: Courtesy of MIAUK.COM PULL UP THE PEOPLE - Globetrotting Maya Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A., was banned from performing her last show in the States because of CIA and visa mishaps.

Any artist who performs at the 9:30 club typically thanks the audience - the people of D.C. M.I.A., the multigenre, London-based rapper, chanted additional shout-outs to the CIA and FBI, organizations that once assisted in banning her entry into the United States and preventing her from returning to her Brooklyn apartment. Her familial tie to a Tamil Tiger may have slowed her down in the past, but now, more than ever, her provocative infusion of politics into her rhymes is rapidly making her the hippest artist of the year.

M.I.A., aka Maya Arulpragasam, is without a doubt the hottest thing since white bread. Her 9:30 club debut sold out in minutes, over two months prior to the show's date. Not only was the concert highly anticipated, but it was also highly propagated: It created hype so large that most of D.C. knew at least one person who was going. The doors opened at 10 p.m., but the lady diva did not grace the club with her presence until nearly midnight.

To get the audience sufficiently pumped up, M.I.A. chose crunk Midwestern duo The Cool Kids to open the show. Main DJs Mikey Rocks and Chuck sought to tear up the club, and that they did. Admittedly, most of the crowd was pleasantly surprised by their performance and was quickly won over by their ill beats.

Before M.I.A. and her posse arrived, a video of a Japanese man declaring his state's failure and demanding political change blared in an effort to rally the troops for the fierce ambiance that would soon come. Undoubtedly, the best part of the show was the consistently eclectic video projections, which flashed distinctive neon graphics coupled with scenes from M.I.A.'s latest exploration of Africa.

Images of M.I.A. beating a drum upstaged stencils of tanks, tigers, bombs and artillery, which were all positioned over digital square patterns. The Nigerian MC Afrikan Boy, a collaborator on 2007's "Kala," appeared throughout the slide show, often dancing wildly. Though almost seizure-inducing, the visuals greatly enhanced the dance party mood.

When M.I.A. took the stage, clad in multicolor, woven cloth tights, a white vest over a baby blue bustier and stunna shades, the antsy crowd cracked and exploded into delirium. A host of guests arrived on stage to aid her in spinning beats and assisting with vocals, the littlest of whom - a child - truly cut up the rug. M.I.A. labeled her "a '90s baby."

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