What kind of megastar makes her own tech support calls? The kind that aggressively keeps shit real, apparently. In an interview with Rolling Stone, M.I.A. explains how a three-hour phone call with Verizon led to "I'm Down Like Your Internet Connection," a track from her forthcoming follow-up to Kala. And in a very Nicholas Kristof [...]

Western pop music, says producer Johan Karlberg, "wouldn't be the same if we weren’t influenced by African or Middle Eastern music. But if you argue too much about these things, you’re thinking too hard and not listening."
Karlberg is Swedish, Etienne Tron (his partner in the production duo Radioclit) is French, singer Esau Mwamwaya is Malawian, and [...]