M.I.A: 'Paper Planes'

The trendy set have loved M.I.A - a British rapper of Sri Lankan origin whose parents know her as Maya Arulpragasam - since her genre-busting 2005 debut, Arular. But now, all of a sudden, she seems to be crossing over into the mainstream, with 'Paper Planes' cracking the US top five after being used in the Pineapple Express trailer.

Built around a sample from The Clash's 'Straight To Hell', with lyrics that satirise US immigration's perception of visa-seeking foreigners, this hazy, lilting rap cut is one of the year's most unlikely smashes. The chorus features gun shots, the Ker-ching! of a cash register and a choir of children singing: "All I wanna do is take your money." Who says Americans don't get irony?


> Click here to watch the 'Paper Planes' video