Behind rapper M.I.A’s beef with The New York Times

M.I.A., the Sri Lankan born rapper who’s crossover appeal reached critical mass when her single ?Paper Planes? was featured in the film ?Slumdog Millionaire,” was enraged when she read a profile of herself in The New York Times. Lynn Hirschberg wrote the profile that took down the artist, questioning her ties to the Tamil Tigers, saying that she likes truffle-oiled french fries, and writing she hates Lady Gaga. In response, M.I.A. released a song attacking Hirschberg and shared the journalist’s personal cell phone number via Twitter. Dave Itzkoff, reporter for The New York Times fills us on in on the story.