07/18/08
Text: Nik Mercer
Anthem pop/hip-hop darling, Santogold, has enjoyed a rapid rise to fame and success. Once a mere wannabe lyricist (she wrote for Ashlee Simpson!), Santi White can no longer be sympathized with for being something of an underdog: her mug—along with Julian Casablancas and Pharrell's—can be seen on every Converse sneaker ad now; she recently announced a brief touring stint with Coldplay (wha—?); and now she's got some serious "indie cred" releases out.
It's funny how Santogold seems to have fulfilled—and exceeded, in several ways—the expectation that she would usurp M.I.A.'s mantle and become the new face of world music-infused pop-rap. Now it's Santogold and not our favorite Sri Lankan doing LP's with Philly native, Diplo (remember Piracy Funds Terrorism, Vol. 1, folks?) The duo just put out Diplo X Santogold: Top Ranking (which is apparently sold out!), which interestingly includes "Get It Up," a song written and performed by Santogold and M.I.A., originally appearing on Radio Clit.
If we were M.I.A., we'd be a little relieved to be going back to the U.K. right about now ("You take the States, Santi; I'll take the Brits").
That's not to say that most of Santogold's collaborations and money-making schemes have been for nothing. "Guns of Brooklyn" (a loose cover of the Clash's "Guns of Brixton") is a pretty stunning jam (check out the Doc and Jon Hill dub mix in the media player to the right) and "Get It Up," the M.I.A. collaboration, is loads of Summer fun as well. We're completely forgetting the Converse music video for "My Drive Thru" (above). It may be a little commercial-y at points, but the paper cutout flip-book gimmick is sticky and eye-catching.
So: we're still a tad concerned. Is Santogold on the cusp of breaking through in a major and sincere way or is she just going to whore herself out to the masses via Coldplay concerts and Converse spokeswoman gigs? The M.I.A./Mad Decent/Diplo action leads us to believe the former, but we can't be completely sure. One thing's clear: if Santi was an IPO, we would've invested years ago.
