_______________________________________

DJ Rekha(http://sangament.com/djrekha/), (in the 3rd pic below), who is credited for being the driving force behind Bhangra in NYC and the continent, opened things up with a selection of bhangra, dancehall reggae and hip hop. She sported a nice "Kush not Bush" shirt. Straight off the plane from Jamaica, the "riddim" was then lit up by Mr. Vegas (4th pic). M.I.A.'s sometime tour DJ and one of her album producers, Diplo (4th pic), then took the stage to warm things up with one of his patented mashed up sets. Diplo has also been one of the main importers of Brazilian baile funk into the States and beyond, with his mix CDs called Favela on Blast. He let off a lot of those records as well as his own remix of Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl."

After enough opening action, the festival curator gave off a few words and commented how diverse the crowd was and how it was a real good reflection of New York City. The fact that M.I.A. is a musical act that is so undefinably eclectic and has such a diverse following herself, probably made for one of the more diversified concert crowds around anywhere. MIA then did her bongo with her lingo...

If you have some catchin up to do on Ms. Arulpragasam, check out the "Ten things you probably already know about M.I.A." intro section in this great and lengthy interview with her from Pitchforkmedia.com

Galang-alang-alang-alang, speak the slang!