This piece originally appeared on EntertainmentWeekly.com.
M.I.A. expressed her disappointment that her music video for “Borders” wasn’t on this year’s list of MTV VMAs nominees in a series of tweets Thursday.
“MIA – BORDERS is not included in the VMAs #hahahahhaahahhaha!!,” she tweeted. “Racism sexism classism elitism #dontwantyourlane!”
The rapper was recognized by the VMAs in 2012 for “Bad Girls,”which was nominated for Video of the Year and won both Best Direction and Best Cinematography. The clip for “Borders,” directed by M.I.A. herself, focuses on the ongoing European migrant crisis and features the British artist performing among traveling groups of refugees.
“Something about this video was right, and I was doing something for a good cause,” M.I.A. told Time in 2015. “It didn’t really feel like I was doing it to promote my own pop stardom. ‘This week I’m going to be on refugees and next week I’m going to be on AIDS!’ It just felt like everything came together for a reason.”
“BORDERS came representing people outside US showing [globe emoji],” she tweeted Thursday. “This is a perfect example of ‘allowed’ voice vs excluded voices. Even if U direct it. not here 4 EGO or Accolades but know before you tell other [globe emoji] artists they have the same platform as major US artists coz they don’t #[globe emoji].”
https://twitter.com/MIAuniverse/status/758621030965506048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/MIAuniverse/status/758625505893556225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/MIAuniverse/status/758627848932433920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/MIAuniverse/status/758666758001664001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
See her tweets and the clip for “Borders” above.
