US bars 'rebel' rapper

LONDON rapper MIA has been barred from entering America

because of controversial lyrics on her critically acclaimed album.

Maya Arulpragasam, 28, the west London MC who was a refugee from Sri Lanka, is seen as one of the capital's brightest urban music talents, but her plan to work with some of America's top hiphop producers has been blocked because US immigration has refused her a visa.

MIA's music, which features bomb blasts and lyrics about revolution, is strongly supportive of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels.