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Published Saturday, September 24, 2005 by seanlmccarthy | E-mail this post

M.I.A., AT THE PARADISE: The London hip-hop sensation with Sri Lankan roots showed up 15 minutes late for her gig Friday night at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. Or was that 15-minute DJ set intended to whip people into a frenzy? If so, it didn't work. The sold-out crowd wanted to see M.I.A., and she briefly addressed a mini-controversy regarding her first single, "Galang."

"Two days ago I got into a fight with someone because I licensed the song to Honda," she told the crowd. But she defended the decision, saying it's not Honda's song, but her song. "If they want to give me lazy money, f--- it!" she said. "And I'm a first-generation immigrant, so f--- it f--- it!" The crowd liked hearing that, enjoyed hearing the song even more.