Starpulse — The 12-year-old boy who meets a bloody end in M.I.A's controversial new music video has stepped up to defend the rapper after the violent promo was banned on YouTube. M.I.A. premiered the video o... more info

Pitchfork — "She was trying to show violence to end violence. It's for all the people that are doing the genocides in real life. Italians, Africans-- wherever it's from, it's still a genocide." -- Ian Hamrick, the 12-year-old redhead who gets shot in the head in... more info

Pitchfork — This year's Øya Festival crashes down in Oslo, Norway August 10-14. And here's another list of bands that'll make you want to book a flight to Europe ASAP: M.I.A., Pavement, LCD Soundsystem, Panda Bear, the Stooges, Big Boi, the xx, Air, Jón... more info

VH1 News — M.I.A.'s disturbing "Born Free" video was defended by 12-year-old Ian Hamrick, a young actor who is graphically executed in the clip. He said the video "shows violence [in an effort] to end violence." more info

MTV.com News — Ian Hamrick adds, 'M.I.A. was a sweetheart.'By James Montgomery Ian Hamrick in M.I.A.'s video for "Born Free" Photo: Interscope Toward the end of M.I.A.'s incendiary "Born Free" video, there's a horrifying slow-motion scene in which 12-year... more info

TMZ — 12-year-old Ian Hamrick gets his head blown off in M.I.A. music video ... and he sounds like a 50-year-old philosopher as he explains why he let someone put a gun to his head. As Ian and his mother left Jerry's Deli in Studio City , the ginger explai... more info

ContactMusic — The red-headed boy playing the victim of anti-redhead American soldiers in U.K. rapper M.I.A.'s censored video has come to its defense. Although apparently yanked from YouTube... more info

411 Mania — Will Amy Winehouse ditch the implants? Should Whitney Houston call it quits? Is M.I.A. copying GaGa? Is U2's Achtung Baby the best album of the last quarter century? 411's Alistair McGeorge and Aaron Titan debate all this and more in the latest 411 M... more info

the fakeRICH weblog!!! — I rarely just put up videos on the site for the sake of putting a video up but this is one of those rare cases when I absolutely had to M.I.A’s new video fro BORN FREE her track from her new album, takes GINGER bashing a to the limit. Many of you w... more info

VH1 News — M.I.A.'s "Born Free" video was pulled from YouTube. The site said the clip violates rules that "prohibit content like pornography or gratuitous violence." more info