Arular

I guess I didn't think M.I.A. was influential enough to be on here more than once.

An album where every song is a seizure.

stop sayin crazy shit bout vaccines, lady

A true fusion album; I can't classify it as one specific genre. It is cool to see explicit political messaging outside of its usual mediums like rap and punk. A few of the songs are really catchy, and I like the overall 2000s liminal vibes.

S.I.K

Great debut album.

Really didn't like this. Repetitive, amateurish. I struggled to listen all the way through. The vocals - which only seem to have one gear - and rhythm are not interesting at all. Very disappointing.

I'm not sure what I expected but I sure didn't expect to end up totally digging this album. It's weird, wild, compelling, and completely different from anything else I've heard. I don't know, it's just really great. Gonna need to give this one several more listens.

For fucks sake... this is like one terrible song on repeat.

Basically just annoying through the first few songs so in a radical act of self care, I am not forcing myself to listen to this entire album

This is obnoxious. I couldn't make it more than two songs in. From a one-hit-wonder to two albums on this list is a tragedy.

After talking to many folks about this album? From here and abroad? It's a very different story. When Galang dropped in 04 in Sydney Australia? We went nuts. Not just a lil rowdy? Nuts. So when Arular came out in 05? It became the banger of the year. A month and a half later Trent Reznor drops With Teeth and then goes on record saying that he wishes his album was as dynamic Arular by M.I.A. Immediately sending the flag out to work with her. Everyone who was everyone wanted this girl to work with them. So I can understand why this album is in the list of things you need to listen to? Cause if you think about the scene back then with everyone complaining about "real instruments"? And the flood of faux garage and rock groups? Jet, The Hives, The Strokes, White Stripes and all of that? Out of nowhere comes a refugee banger that took on all the war sentiments feeling at the time and made folks dance through it. It's a real important album if you know why it came to fruition and how that product shifted aforementioned Trent Reznor's mind set for the next incarnation of NIN when he broke free from all the record labels. The Slip Hesitation Marks The rise and fall of Niggy Tardust - Saul William's album he produced? Yo... this record hit the right people and changed how music was heard. Kudos MIA

Weird and wonderful, with a head-spinning array of genres and styles. Very english, very sri Lankan and Indian too. Feels like walking through London or one of the other great cultural melting pots of our time. I loved it

M.I.A. swaggers in. Boombox booming in one hand, the other hand texts acronyms to friends flung far away. It's hard to pin her down, with her Caribbean lilts, her Bristolian beats, her Arabic patois, her Mr. Oizo synths, her Acton shout-outs. Arular's fantastic. Music from the most bombastic sources distilled through a cocky self-assured artist with a real knack for hooks. It's quite the cocktail.

I wish Paper Planes was on this album. It’s my favourite M.I.A. song. Notwithstanding that, this had me bouncing in my seat and I love her global, kleptomaniac approach to mixing styles with a political stance to boot. I haven’t felt so physically inclined to dance along for a while - so - bonus!! Going to listen to Bad Girls now. This has actually made me happy.

Fucking nonsense.

I can't stand M.I.A.'s music the second time around here either (and no, I did not consider M.I.A.'s music worthy of a second entry here to begin with).

Already listened to it 4 times. Love it!

Move over Peter Gabriel, we have a new champion for Most Annoying Album I Awarded Five Stars

This one is a winner! Such a cool and unique sound.

Totally catchy yet completely unpredictable. I so appreciate M.I.A.'s unique sound!

I love M.I.A. But that rework of the Sanford and Son theme on U.R.A.Q.T. took my love to the next level. Is there nothing M.I.A. Can’t do?

Genial, eindringlich, anders, stark aber nicht aggro

Perfection

WOW. Where has she been all my life? I absolutely loved this album. Beats set my day up to be a good one. So inventive and different, especially at that time.

Politically charged lyrics over some insane beats. Perfection

In your face, a difficult and wonderfully fun listen.

I love this album. More than Kala. I don't know why but it just bumps so hard from start to finish. Sunshowers, Bucky Done Gun, Galang... all classics.

Late review: Christian asked to put on an album over breakfast, he wanted to know what I thought of it. I immediately begin grooving to the beats... niceeee He said that I should look at what Sam and Caitlin thought of it... "Why? Did Caitlin say she wants to vomit?" --- M.I.A. , I'm sorry I haven't checked out more of your stuff, other than those classic paper planes... I'll fly away with you on any type of plane, rootless to any land together, and we can listen to this album on the way. I like the hooks, the beat, the sass, the delivery, the grit, the strength, the venture, the lack of boundaries... the rhythms, rhythms, rhythms. I'm confused, thrilled, and I like it.

M.I.A. is a trailblazing female rapper

9/10 godDAMN I love M.I.A.! she’s got such an interesting, one-of-a-kind style that deserves to be commended

Truly one of the pioneers of the experimental crossover sounds that exist in today's music. A very fun listen, with interludes that flow as well.

Enjoyed it quiet a lot. Very interesting snappy beats on this one. There wasn't really any song that I didn't enjoy. Maybe the skit/intermissions could've been left out. Thankfully there are just 3 of them and they're not that annoying to pull me out of the experience.

J'ai trouvé ca trop nice. M.I.A a un style vraimenta elle pour ces années. En plus c'est son premier album. vraiment nice. C'est pas pour toutes les occasions mais, comme on dit, ''it grows on you'' et quand tu arrives a la derniere chanson tu es hook. 5

I loved this. Fired me up. I've enjoyed every song I've ever heard by MIA, so I'm kicking myself for not checking out this banger before.

It’s hard to fathom that M.I.A.'s Arular is closing in on its 20th anniversary. When it dropped in 2005, I was living in London, and the buzz around it was undeniable. You’d hear tracks like “Galang” and “Bucky Done Gun” everywhere—from the most uptight clubs to the scuzziest dive bars. Arular stood out, with its heady blend of hip-hop, dancehall, electro, and world music creating a sound that felt far more alive and unpredictable than anything mainstream at the time. Truth be told, I’ve never been sold on M.I.A.’s lyrics. Even back then, it felt like she was a teenager cosplaying Noam Chomsky, throwing out broad political statements without any real knowledge to back it up. Nearly 20 years on, that impression has only solidified, especially with her recent dabblings in conspiracy theories and newfound religious leanings. At her best, her lyrics skim the surface of complex issues—civil war, terrorism, oppression—but rarely dive deep enough to say anything meaningful. However, unlike many reviewers, I do enjoy her vocal delivery. It’s one of the things that hooked me back then and still stands out now. There’s a swagger and rawness to her voice that matches the experimental production perfectly. Where her lyrics might stumble, her voice hits hard, and the beats—while sparse and jarring at times—still feel ahead of their time. Listening to Arular today is like catching a glimpse of a parallel 2025, where the music is sharp and anarchic, even if the message is occasionally muddled. In the end, Arular endures not because of its political depth but because of its fearless, genre-defying sound. It captured a moment and remains a vital, if flawed, musical rebellion. Did/Do I own this release? On mp3 Does this release belong on the list? Kala feels like a more essential album. I’ll get back to you after I listen to that one again. Would this release make my personal list? Probably not. I do like it, but some of the topics are poorly fleshed out. This is an album that’s fun once in a while. Will I be listening to it again? It’s an album I’ll return to occasionally, but probably not one I’ll reach for often.

I absolutely loved this album when it was released in 2005. Before "paper planes", MIA was a tour guide to UK - Sri Lankan expat culture through electroclash beats and Karen-O type yelps. She's capable of more contemporary tracks ("Sunshowers") while adding her unique angular style. As an older man, I have a harder time listening to many of these metallic, grinding tracks. But this is a fascinating debut and worth listening to at least once.

I really enjoy her originality and passion.

Catchy beats from a British hip hop artist AND the title helped her reconnect with her activist father? I’ll round up.

Liked this more than I expected I would. Lots of good grooves and I like her singing/rapping style. Very creative and unique, with challenging lyrics. Favorite tracks: Bucky Done Gun, Fire Fire, Amazon, Bingo, 10 Dollar (difficult lyrics about prostitution though). Definitely interested in hearing more of her stuff.

Liked this way more this time around than when I first heard it. Unique sound - like metal and plastic hot glued together. Light 4.

Really good!!

MIA is great, fun

Huh. Didn't see that coming. I liked this a lot. It was multidimensional, something I often find lacking in post 90s rap. Also, significantly more melodic.

Its been a while since I've listened to this one. Jeremy introduced me to it and Diolo around the same time. It's better than the sum of its tracks. Drums and lyrics and highlights throughout

How did she sample the candy that pops in your mouth on "Banana - Skit". I thought my headphones were breaking. This is awesome. I'm going to steal the top negative review, because I agree with it, but not in the intended way: An album where every song is a seizure. Hell yeah it is, and it SLAPS. I want my brain to be turned into mush with experimentation and crazy sounds.

I enjoyed Kala when it was recommended and I equally enjoyed this. Great fun, good beats, innovative noises. Quite different to conventional hip hop.

Very very interesting and eclectic blend of styles, and it's rare to find something that is so mixed up like this to be so BOPPIN. This would be a 5 if the vocals didn't get a bit grating at times.

Number two from MIA, with no hits in sight. Still, another testament to how talented and creative she is (was?) as an artist. Such pronounced style, it's obvious why this list-maker would include multiple from MIA - she makes music that white people have never heard before. Jokes aside (am I joking?), I really dug this one. Not as captivating or consistent as Mala, but still a strong project. Prior to doing this project, I think I had only heard a couple of her newer albums, which are nowhere near as interesting as these early ones. Not sure what she's been up to. Favorite tracks: Banana, Pull Up the People, Sunshowers, Fire Fire, Hombre, 10 Dollar. Album art: Another banger. Better than Mala to me, this one is really cool. A great collage of colorful elements and styles, perfectly reflective of the kind of music she's putting out there. Plus you get a picture of her in the center, which is a nice bonus. 4/5

I don't know much about Sri Lanka except for its location and the fact they had a civil war that lasted 25 years. AND I learned these two facts because when I first heard M.I.A. she was singing 9 months pregnant (on her due date no less!) at the Grammys. She performed Paper Planes. That swagger alone made me fall in love and want to learn more about this dynamite artist. I was not familiar with this one but really enjoyed the album. The mix of genres combined with her own cultural mix just delights me and makes me realize this world is so damn big and it's immigrants like M.I.A. who shine a lens back on our own culture so we can learn more. (Fun fact: two of the Beastie Boys are in her Paper Planes video at the very end)

What a wild ride! This is a unique sound that everyone deserves to hear before they die. Hate it or love it, it’s worth hearing. I for one, am struck. The somewhat-industrial, electronic music is captivating. I find the artist’s story to be part of the appeal. A visual artist that happened to play around with a 505 drum machine. She tried to find others to supply the vocals with no luck so she did it herself. Inspiring stuff. And a sonically stimulating experience.

M.I.A.'s debut Arular is much stronger than her more popular follow-up. Arular features all of the forward-thinking hip hop production and memorable international influence without any of the low points. While I don't care for the skits, they're short enough that you don't have to worry about them ruining the experience. M.I.A. is a good rapper who brings excellent energy to match the production on each of the tracks. Some songs are better demonstrations of her MCing than others, but the album is still an outstanding look at the kinds of new directions that hip hop was exploring in the early 2000's.

I will say this: the "skits" were really just short experiments of some sort. So they were something I am not just going to "skip" if I decide to come back to this. For the most part, I dug this. I thought M.I.A. did a good job producing beats throughout. I liked some of the ideas used for sampling, like in "U.R.A.Q.T." It was better than I was expecting, because I was expecting something along the lines of 40 minutes of "Paper Planes," and this definitely a lot more than that. Not sure if I would come back to it, but it is better than I expected. Top tracks: "U.R.A.Q.T.," "Galang," "10 Dollar," "Bingo"

This is fucking insufferable. Get this shit far away from me. How could anyone deliberately listen to this absolute fucking garbage?

The music is MIA.

Bongos, Bambus und Mandoline im Zusammenspiel mit einer nervigen Frauenstimme die über Mobiltelefone und Bananen singt mit einer wuseligen Combo. Aber schlimmer geht immer - die Gute Rapt auch noch. Die Platte führte einen in die Illusion einer Fahrt mit einem verrotteten stinkenden Taxi in Mexico City und man nur einen Wunsch - Lebend raus !

Comenzamos el mes de mi natalicio con el debut de M.I.A.. La conocí hace unos años a través de un documental y luego caí en la cuenta que ubicaba uno de sus hits posteriores. Una artista zarpada, adelantadísima a toda la movida actual del trap/hip hop/neo soul (en el caso de mi país, imposible no relacionarla con Nathy Peluso y con el resto de las pibas de su camada). Me vuela la cabeza que lo haya producido con una máquina de ritmos re sencilla y que sean ritmos bailables con letras barderas. Me recuerda también a las raperas de los 90s y, en el caso argento, Actitud María Marta, Miss Bolivia o Sara Hebe. Muy bien 10.

9.5/10

Weird

This was so novel when it was released. Exciting, different, challenging and bold. The videos were intense and dazzling. These days, this feels almost quaint. Still lots of fun. Bold choices.

Arular thrills. 🔥 I do not tire of M.I.A.

Loved it. I only knew Paper Planes (from her next album) but she is way more. MIA is clever as hell and mixes those great lyrics with groovy beats. In her words, its hard to dance to political songs and she wanted to change that. Mission accomplished - to a tee. When Apple played its randomly selected similar songs after the album ended, I also came to realize how influential MIA (and Gwen Stefani) were on a bunch of female artists of the 2000's - think Fergie, Iggy Azalea. MIA is better because she doesn't seem to sink to pop lowest common denominators. It's lyrics first, beats to fit it. To me, she's just as good as Missy Elliott. Not the same, but damn good. And if this album wasn't as influential as Missy's Under Construction, it should be. Special shout out to the most wicked songs on this album - Pull Up the People, Bucky Done Gun, Sunshowers, Hombre, URAQT, and Galang.

It’s rare to get an album that is completely new to me that I listen to twice in a row, but this is one of these. This debut from M.I.A takes glitchy, catchy dance beats and layers on lyrics that range from cheeky to sharply political. Maya Arulpragasam experienced life as a refugee from the violence in Sri Lanka when she was just 11 and this plays out in her music, but it’s done with irrepressible charm and wit. I absolutely love this!

A visionary debut that mixes rap, world music and indie.

*insert lady gaga gif* talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, etc etc

This is great. Love the beats and there is a lot of wit. It’s just a very engaging listen.

Banana.

galangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalangalan

It's just ace. She's stayed close to this standard for 20 years while maintaining an indie career that has been brilliant. Conversely, Diplo has become more and more bland and dull while achieving mainstream success and ridiculous money. This is why I think we should let climate change win.

Today's album is like trip hop. It's not bad at all. But it full of dumb fucking skits. Man I hate those, but at least the skits maintain a beat. They aren't just random fucking noises or nonsense, just kinda like super short songs. I still don't like skits, but it didn't detract from the album the way other skits do. I haven't got a bakers fuck of an idea what the singer is saying, but it doesn't matter, because the beats are solid. The album cover looks like something someone made using Microsoft Word and clip art. It's actually really fuckin good though. The music is such a vibe. Has a world music feel to it. Pretty solid! U.R.A.Q.T sampled the Sanford & Son theme song! You can hear Fred Sanford saying "you big dummy" throughout the song lol Favourite songs: U.R.A.Q.T., Bucky Done Gun, Sunshowers, M.I.A, Amazon, Bingo, "Fire, Fire", Galang, Pull Up the People Least favourite songs: Banana, Dash the Curry, One For The Head (fuck skits) 5/5

Very very good

Love it. Way ahead of its time, especially with the instrumentals. Creative, one of the few albums that I wish didn't end and leaves me craving for more. Love the mixing of electro sounds with hip-hop. Fun

9/10

Mid 2000s dance music. This thing feels like it was made in someone’s bedroom, they had their electronic instrument and used every single sound available on the thing, but in a good fun way like on Bucky done gun the shitty horns sound like they belong on a flash game. Lots of good throwback sounds and it’s so absurd it would fit in with modern dance music. Not so hidden messages in the lyrics but since pulling apart lyrics isn’t my thing I’d say it’s just a really cool idea.

M.I.A. is just so fucking cool she makes me want to be a criminal

I thought this was fantastic and Marxist. 5 stars.

curti, sonzao animado e gravezon

This is bad-ass. I know I missed half of what was going on here, and if I were to dig in to better understand this album, I'm sure I'd get a more profound appreciation for it. But as it is, just listening and grooving to the songs, the production, the style, the vibe, and M.I.A.'s brand of rap, this was pretty amazing. I'm out on a limb here with a 5, but I'm not sure what could have made this better.

Ok, so I rolled my eyes when I saw her come up on this list again but I had a lot of fun with this one.

Huh, a bit unexpected, but always glad to see something that is not rock, even more so something contemporary-ish! Really whacky record. Listening to this make me feel very uncool and old. All beats are extremely catchy and groovy, and the lyrics are complete jibberish and devoid of any type of coherency or "sense". It just feels completely disconnected and all over the place, but she is just so good at creating memorable fun pieces that rhyme really well and are easy to remember, that now it feels like I know almost all songs even tough only heard the record once. And I think that is where much of here success lies, it's incredibly powerful. Going to sound even older now, but I wonder how much she has influenced how kids talk these days. Listening to her rap feels a bit like hearing teenagers talk. In summary this is definitely not what I usually listen to, but there's just so many hooks here in the lyrics and the beats that it's hard not to dig it. Really fun to listen to as well, not so complicated or pretentious as some music can be. Gotta give it a weak 4 just because of how fresh it feels, even though I probably won't listen to it much more and I didn't find any particular song that I "loved".

This album is pretty fun. I like how well all of the Roland low-fi synth pads are used; gives it the whole thing a well-polished demo tape feel. 3.5/5

Great album. I listened to it a lot when it was new. I had a limewire version of it though, so there's actually a few songs here I've never heard! Damn early pirating... 4.49/5

Banging and very 2000s nostalgic

Although not as good as Kala in my opinion, most of what I said for that album applies here as well. Solid and catchy album.

I thought it was creative and raw. It’s a shame she has become a right wing grifter

Unique and definitely attention getting but not my style outside of a few songs. Rating 4 for it being something I'd come back to and for standing out.

Never heard this before. I like it more than I expected to. Inventive, unique and hooky. Great debut. " 'Cause Bingo, now I'm hittin' a 6"

Didn't see this one coming, Really enjoyed her beats more than I want to admit. The Sanford and Sons clips in URAQT made me hit repeat a couple of times.

I really enjoyed this one. Packed with creative electro-forward beats interleaved with exotic elements that simultaneously feel futuristic and as though they should be the soundtrack for a busy old-school open market. While I don't always love her vocals, I think there is far more hit than miss. The only one that I find myself skipping is U.R.A.Q.T. Pull Up the People is a great burbling opener -- the delivery of the chorus is catchy as hell. Bucky Done Gun is a banger with a constantly shifting instrumental. Love the 808 led back beat that is punctuated with tribal sounding drums and interleaved by various staccato gunshot sounds. Early album standout. Sunshowers feels familiar -- reminds me of a random electronic song I enjoy called Alala by Populous. Oh wow, I just placed Hombre as the sample that was used during a jam at a Disco Biscuits concert I went to. They riffed the sample and built one of my favorite interludes of the concert around it. Song is a jam unto itself. 10 Dollar is a late album standout. Propulsive dance-electro beat with a hook from the perspective of a prostitute \"anything you want.\" It's infectious and sort of bleak. Solid 4 / 5.

Love this!!

Afro-beat yummies. I couldn’t stop my hips. Fun to think that she laid down most of these tracks in her apartment on her Roland 808. That said, I do think Diplo needs some serious nods here for production extravagance. Danceable political messages - a fun magic trick.

Though that be the same shit as her later album, but this sounds really nice

This was something unique. Rap/Hip-hop mixed with electronica is not that unusual, but her lyrics and the fusion with the music of her origin really does the trick. The tracks are often a bit too long as more often than not the hook lines are repeated nearly endlessly. But other than that, this was fun.

cool album with an even cooler political background

has a unique sound going for her. Favorite track: Galang other picks: pull up the people, amazon, 10 dollar(has tamil verses), hombre (tambura intro?)

Such a fresh great sound that is only getting better with time.

I'm 2 for 2 on liking full M.I.A albums. This one was fun. Catchy, bouncy songs that were entertaining, funny, or a mix of both. I really like how the singer speaks and sings, her accent and cadence is cool too. Good beats in the background, I liked Sunshowers, Amazon, Galang, M.I.A as tracks.

Unique/fun. Super cool that Justine Frischmann helped with this. Sounds like an early charli xcx Rating: 3.9

This album is wild. I want to say its genre-bending, but I don't really know what I would say its bending? I mean it's absolutely rap, dancehall and electro. I guess it doesn't really matter what the genres are. I just like how gonzo it is. Its all over the place. Some songs feel poppy and fun to vibe with, where other songs are really experimental and kind of hard to listen to. I think the outlandish nature of the whole record backed with the socio-political lyrics makes for a really cool record. It feels really punk rock, without really being a rock album. In a lot of ways it reminds of Minor Threat or Bad Brains in that its pretty heavy and kind of aggressive, but definitely political and pointed. But then unlike punk-hardcore bands, there's all of the electronic and dance elements to this record. Which then makes me feel like this could be bumping out of a East London club. This was rad.

I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. It was such a catchy album, never heard anything like it. I could rock out to this at the gym for sure.