Two decades on from the ecstatic electronic pop and rap that made her one of the most significant, ear-opening stars in music, the Sri Lankan-British singer M.I.A. returned in April with “M.I.7,” her seventh album and first in four years, documenting her latest swerve, this time toward born-again Christianity. Last week, she sued Kid Cudi for breach of contract after being removed from his tour in May following her onstage comments about “illegal” immigrants. Before filing her lawsuit, she sat down with Joe and Jon to discuss whether her legacy of incitement has been an obstacle to her legacy of art, how she’s been both welcomed and rejected by either side of the American political spectrum and her recent spiritual awakenings. Follow Jon: https://twitter.com/joncaramanica https://www.instagram.com/joncaramanica Follow Joe: https://twitter.com/joecoscarelli https://www.instagram.com/joecoscarelli/ Listen to every Popcast ever https://www.nytimes.com/popcast Every episode of Popcast (Deluxe) on YouTube https://tinyurl.com/PopcastDeluxe Popcast Discord! https://tinyurl.com/PopcastDiscord Popcast Facebook! https://tinyurl.com/PopcastFacebook Popcast t-shirts & stickers http://itsthepopcast.myshopify.com Subscribe: http://bit.ly/U8Ys7n More from The New York Times Video: http://nytimes.com/video

NYT Music Critics Answer Your Questions! Taylor Swift, Geese, The Beatles & More
11.6K views

How Slayyyter Became 2026’s Breakout Pop Star
43.5K views

Why Rue Had to Die on ‘Euphoria’ (Explained by Creator Sam Levinson)
122.9K views

How Olivia Rodrigo’s Love Songs Became a Breakup Album
538.4K views

Lizzo Addresses Public Backlash & Performs ‘Bitch’ Live!
14.0K views

Breaking Down Drake’s THREE New Albums! ‘Iceman,’ ‘Maid of Honour’ & ‘Habibti’ LIVE Reactions
27.8K views