M.I.A. - Paper Planes

NOV 13 2007 · 12:00

M.I.A. - Paper Planes (2007) Director: Bernard Gourley Era: Late Web 2.0 / Global Bass Era (2007) - Peak of MySpace-era music discovery, post-9/11 immigrant anxiety, and the rise of UK-diaspora alt-hip-hop crossing into US mainstream consciousness Exceptionally high. 'Paper Planes' is a defining cultural document of late 2000s globalized hip-hop, representing a rare convergence of political subversion, viral ascent, censorship controversy, Grammy recognition, and cross-media placement (film, trailer, TRL). Its visual grammar, guerrilla Brooklyn shoot, warm-gold street realism, B&W bookends, encapsulates the transitional aesthetic between early-digital camcorder intimacy and HD commercial production. Essential for any archive covering diaspora identity, censorship history, or the evolution of hip-hop video aesthetics. Context: Released in December 2007 and breaking commercially through 2008, 'Paper Planes' arrived at the intersection of post-9/11 immigrant anxiety, the MySpace-era global music discovery boom, and a growing mainstream appetite for non-Western hip-hop voices. M.I.A., a Sri Lankan-British artist living in Bedford-Stuyvesant at the time of writing, satirized American perceptions of Third World immigrants through gunshot-and-cash-register chorus sounds that drew immediate censorship pressure from MTV and broadcast networks. The video's relocation from Ecuador to Brooklyn compressed its global ambitions into a single hyper-local American geography, lending the clip an ironic authenticity. Its appearance on the Pineapple Express trailer in summer 2008 catalyzed mainstream US crossover, and its later use in Slumdog Millionaire extended its global reach. The song earned a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year and topped the 2008 Pazz & Jop poll. Director notes: Originally planned for the Ecuador–Colombia border to reflect the song's Third World immigrant themes, the shoot was relocated to Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn due to M.I.A.'s touring schedule leaving only a single day for production. Gourley directed and edited the video. Production company was Immigrant Film; producer was Maryann Tanedo; DP was Joe Maswell; VFX by Baked Goods; representation by Robin Frank Management. Released via Interscope Records. The video premiered on MTV's website on December 15, 2007, and broadcast on TRL the following day. It later became TRL's top on-demand video for its August 19, 2008 broadcast and was ranked third on Slate's list of best TRL videos ever.