2007-09-07 M.I.A. | Photo 02

M.I.A. Her real name? Maya Arulpragasam. Maya grew up in Sri Lanka and witnessed civil war firsthand. By 1986, her mom made it out of Sri Lanka with her kids, and they moved to London as refugees. That's where M.I.A. was first exposed to hip hop and rap. We're talking serious hip hop - like Public Enemy and NWA. By 2003, she had signed a record deal. In 2005, she released her first album 'Arular.' The critics loved it. Now, M.I.A. has a new explosive album out called 'Kala.'

Check out her interview with George here.