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A few months back, M.I.A, the Brooklyn-by-way-of-London singer who derives her enthusiastically touted cred from her father's former existence as a Tamil Tiger terrorist, was thinking about abandoning our fair shores. Thank goodness she didn't, because we need brave cultural vanguardists like her to remind us that rich people are ruining the creative heart of New York! In an interview with artist Kehinde Wiley, M.I.A.—who also says she misses "being a real human," like when she lived in Sri Lanka "in the middle of a war and I was getting shot at"—bemoans the fact that "it's just become impossible for young, creative artists to live in New York."

Tell you what, M.I.A, in order to feel human again, why don't you and your fiancé Ben Brewer move from gentrified Bed Stuy to, say, East New York, where we hear bullets fly around quite regularly? And meanwhile you can tell other "young, creative artists" that they should just follow your example and get engaged to the offspring of a billionaire.

Kehinde Wiley by M.I.A [Interview via Gawker]
Related: Member of the Band, Son of the Chairman [Cityfile]