Rapper M.I.A. alleges that Jay-Z told her to get plastic surgery back in the day, but she declined.
The British rapper shared a video online addressing accusations that she is insecure and some of the early struggles she faced at the start of her rap career in the early 2000s. One incident she pointed out was when Jay-Z told her to get surgery, which she explains that she decided against.
“When I met Jay-Z and I signed to Roc Nation, the first thing he told me was to get plastic surgery,” she said. “So their argument of ‘MIA f—ing insecure, that’s why she needs to massage her ego,’ fails. Because turn around and ask those muthaf—ers what women do you know who hasn’t had plastic surgery around you. All of them have. I’m the only one that didn’t.”
It’s unclear what sparked her online rant, but she seems to be addressing accusations around insecurity. Plastic surgery among women in hip-hop has become normalized over the past decade, with some of the biggest names in female rap opting for surgery. However, several of the new females in the game have opted to embrace their natural bodies, sparking a broader conversation around surgery and whether it is still relevant in rap culture.
M.I.A., whose real name is Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, was signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation management in May 2012 but later announced in December 2013 that she was leaving the label.
While some folks shared their confusion around her social media rant, others commented on how good M.I.A., who is age 49, looks at 50. “Damn she looks good to be 50, girl what’s the secret?” one fan wrote while another added, “50?? She looks amazing!” Some of her fans even called out Jay-Z for the alleged comment. “Jay telling anyone they need to change their face is bold beyond compare,” one fan wrote.
This is not the first time that M.I.A. has called out Jay-Z, although this doesn’t seem like a direct attack on the rap mogul.
M.I.A. is best known for hits like “Paper Planes,” “Galang,” “Bucky Don Gun,” “Come Around,” and “Double Bubble Trouble.”
