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M.I.A. releases new Wikileaks-inspired mixtape, ViCKi LEEKX

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On Thursday night, rapper/singer/provocateur M.I.A. released a new Wikileaks-inspired mixtape called ViCKi LEEKX, a 36-minute rhythm frenzy featuring new production work by Diplo, Switch and Blaqstarr and a host of rhymes and rants by the artist born Maya Arulpragasam. It opens with a female-voiced salvo inspired by Julian Assange’s recent freedom of information campaign: “We chose the right format,” says the voice, “We leak the information to the public, and we defend ourselves against inevitable legal and political attacks. Vicki Leekz: leak me.”

The end-of-the-year offering is no doubt an attempt on M.I.A.’s part to have the last word after a particularly rocky professional year. Her 2010 release, “Maya,” failed to generate the buzz that her previous album, “Kala,” did, and the album’s been notably absent on most critics’ year-end lists. Arulpragasam was also the subject of an infamous Lynn Hirschberg profile in the New York Times Magazine that asked hard questions about the singer’s politics and private life.

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Can ViCKI LEEKX silence her haters? You can download it in all its chopped-up, AutoTuned glory here.

-- Randall Roberts

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