Boyz
by M.I.A. ft. Jay-Z: Speaking of the cherry on top…Jay is featured on this remix of M.I.A.’s Boyz. The original version was ranked #7 on the Rolling Stone 100 Best Songs of 2007. For the song to be highly ranked, I am surprised that I am just hearing this. I would not have known who M.I.A. is if it had not been for T.I., Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne creating Swagger Like Us. Crazy thing is they sampled her song Paper Planes for Swagger Like Us and I had not heard Paper Planes prior either. So, homegirl has mastered her new strategy: To win big in the States, she MUST have the best artists somehow linked to her songs. Specifically on this track, Jay adds a unique flavor and I like how he doesn’t always perform on tracks that are considered rap. He has proven that he can mix it up with Linkin’ Park and now the British artist who uses the Dappan koothu style of music for this track. Dappan koothu is a musical genre that focuses on traditional dance and folk styles with a major emphasis on percussion instruments. You have just been granted your newly learned fact for the day!
