An incendiary M.I.A. video...

We've always thought that the measure of a true (pop) artist was somebody who defied expectation, even in the face of critical, public and commercial acclaim. Certainly, for M.I.A., following her smash-hit, crossover single "Paper Planes", it would have been very easy for her to disappear for a year and return with an album full of Polow da Don and Swizz Beats-produced tracks featuring Lil Wayne and Jay-Z.

Of course, that's not what she's done. Here is the video for Ms. Arulpragasam's new single, "Born Free". The song itself is a noisy but hook-laden bonanza of driven guitars and synths. But the video... the video is 9 minutes long. It is violent. It doesn't feature M.I.A., herself. It is dark and moody. It is political. It is angry. It's The Ginge Locker.

Without wanting to spoil it too much (oops, that screencap up there already has) it shows ginger people being treated like terrorists by violent law enforcement officers. It's everything Lady GaGa's "Telephone" wasn't (that other 9 minute video in 2010). We can't imagine this going anywhere near the top 10 on America's Billboard Hot 100, but of course, that's not the point, and obviously, it doesn't really matter.

Powerful stuff.