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Outspoken British rapper M.I.A has decided to turn the spotlight on her lawyer in her brand new song, which opens up with a sample of his voice.
A few years back, the recording artist Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam (pictured) — better known by her stage name M.I.A — was tied up in a messy, well-publicised legal battle with the NFL.
During her cameo appearance at the 2012 Super Bowl with Madonna, the controversial rapper flashed her middle finger, and NFL weren’t happy about it. M.I.A was issued a $1.5m (£1.1m) fine, which was later upped to a staggering $16.6m (£11.9m). She described the lawsuit as “a massive waste of time, a massive waste of money” and “a massive display of powerful corporation dick-shaking.”
The matter was eventually settled out of court, but M.I.A clearly hasn’t forgotten about it. Her new track — called Boom ADD — opens with what is reportedly a telephone message from her lawyer, in which he says:
They’re suing you for damaging their fantastic reputation by flipping the bird. The other part, they wanted to reserve the right to sue you later, to make you pay for any damages they have. If they come after you, they can only come after you for half of your income over $500,000 per year, or all of your income over $5m per year.
The lawyer has not been identified. However, judging by legal papers from the time of the case (embedded below), M.I.A was represented by Howard King, a partner at Los Angeles-based law firm King Holmes Paterno & Soriano.
The firm boasts its involvement in “high-profile, cutting-edge litigation and transactions”. According to his bio, King is no stranger to rubbing shoulders with the stars, and has also worked on big name cases involving the likes of Metallica.
Legal Cheek does not know if it’s King’s voice being heard on the track, but you can have a listen to the full song below.