From Sri Lanka, a stunning gift to hip-hop

(newsday.com) Just when you think hip-hop is sinking in its own commercial muck, someone will pop up to prove that the genre still is evolving into unpredictable new forms. The latest someone is M.I.A., and although she's not yet a full-fledged performer, she has produced what is likely the most extraordinary disc of this year, and possibly the next few years.