M.I.A. is definitely an outsider in the industry, holding no bars to what societal issues she feels strongly against. So, when in a most recent interview with Huck Magazine this week, the artist did declare that Jay-Z had once hounded her to have cosmetic operations during her times at his Roc Nation. Her statements speak volumes on what it usually takes to maneuver such strong currents in the music field.
M.I.A. rose to prominence in 2008 with the single “Paper Planes,” a mix of global beats with sharp social commentary. She joined Roc Nation in 2016 but only remained there until 2018. Along with her music came broken boundaries, while her outspokenness often put her in barbed conflict with the modus operandi of the industry.
As she said in an interview, Jay-Z’s suggestion for plastic surgery was part of a greater pattern of pressure to fit into the frames of certain beauty standards. According to her, this was the symptom of a greater problem within the entertainment world, where women, particularly female artists, are expected to follow the unattainable ideal of beauty.
M.I.A. described the suggestion as both shocking and indicative of the industry’s obsession with image over artistry. “It was like, ‘Hey, this is what it takes to fit in,'” she shared, clearly disapproving of the implied demand. She further declared that this is not a strange kind of pressure for women in the music business and cited other examples of artists who have had similar pressures.
Prominent names like Rihanna, Kesha, and Nicki Minaj have come forward to speak about such expectations in the industry. For instance, Rihanna went through very dramatic changes after signing onto Roc Nation, and Kesha and Nicki Minaj are on record talking about the pressure they felt to change their image to suit commercial demands.
The plastic surgery claim’s far from M.I.A.’s only beef with Roc Nation: she also said the label abandoned her during important moments in her life, like the custody battle for her son against her then-partner, Benjamin Bronfman. According to M.I.A., Roc Nation stopped communicating, even deleting emails when the time came she needed their support.
Worse still, she claimed, the company was “shadow-banning” her music and ripping off her style for other signed artists. These allegations further flesh out a damning picture for her time at Roc Nation, which was purported to provide absolute creative freedom to the represented stars.
M.I.A.’s revelations have sparked wide discussions on social media, debates between fans and critics regarding the pressures faced by the female artists in the industry. Many have praised M.I.A. for speaking out because it calls for systemic change in the way women are treated within the music world.
Despite the uproar, none of her allegations has so far been responded to by Jay-Z or Roc Nation himself, leaving many questions about accountability and transparency.
M.I.A. has just spoken to those ills that have taken over in the entertainment industry. On many occasions, female artists get submerged by the pressure to succumb to narrow standards of beauty and at the cost of losing their individuality and often their artistic expression. While people like M.I.A. resist all such demands, many females do feel compelled to adjust in an attempt to win success.
These are revelations the music industry as a whole will have to come to grips with and face the broader culture that allows such practices to continue. With more artists like M.I.A. continuing to come forward, their voices are in hope of sparking meaningful change and ensuring that future generations of talent can blossom unencumbered by the need to give in to identity or values.
