M.I.A. disses the NFL and tackles issues of racism on her latest track, "Boom ADD." The song addresses her legal battle with the NFL following her Super Bowl Halftime appearance in 2012 when she flipped the bird while onstage with Madonna.
Fans will recognize parts of the song, as it is actually an extended version of "Boom Skit," which first appeared on the rapper and producer's 2013 album Matangi, NME reports. The artist explained on Twitter that she stumbled across the full version of the track, which was recorded in 2012, while cleaning out her hard drive.
Boom was recorded 2012 -
Cleaning out my hard drive: This is not a new song ! It's a full length of the boom skit from MATANGI LP. Thankx— M.I.A (@MIAuniverse) February 25, 2016
Although it's technically an older song, the U.K.-based singer-songwriter, rapper and producer first shared the extended track earlier today via her Soundcloud. Stream it below.
"Boom ADD" opens with a sample of M.I.A.'s attorney detailing the lawsuit: "It's NFL vs. M.I.A. right now. One, they're suing you for damaging their fantastic reputation by flipping the bird. The other, they want to reserve the right to sue you later to pay for any damages they may have."
The attorney continues to explain the football organization's monetary demands -- which SPIN reports added up to a fine of $16.6 million -- as the sing-song hook chimes in. The singer's lyrics in the first verse represent her stance in the debacle: "Brown girl, brown girl, turn your sh*t down / you know America don't wanna hear your sound."
After a few spirited rounds of the singer's own rendition of the classic football chant "boomshakalaka," the track concludes with a bass-heavy breakdown set to the repeated lyrics "'cause I got a reputation!"
The singer and the NFL settled in 2014, but the song's subject remains timely following the wide range of public reactions inspired by Beyonce's Superbowl halftime performance of "Formation" earlier this month.
The lawsuit detailed in "Boom ADD" isn't M.I.A.'s only run-in with an athletic league. In January the singer made headlines when French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain demanded the artist remove her "Borders" video from the internet because she wore a modified version of the team's jersey in one scene.
