Rye Rye & M.I.A.

Championed by tastemakers like BBC DJ Gilles Peterson and respected producer Diplo, Baltimore rapper Rye Rye arrived in 2008 with an effervescent style and some support from M.I.A. She was only 17 when a rap left on DJ Blaqstarr's answering machine turned into a partnership. Blaqstarr introduced her to the Mad Decent label/studio/family and soon she would land on a remix of M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" plus the Diplo track "Wassup Wassup." Next, she signed with M.I.A.'s imprint N.E.E.T. and released her first solo track, "Shake It to the Ground." By the end of 2008, she appeared on...