M.I.A. shot to stardom in 2008, when her single "Paper Planes" became one of the most played, sampled of the year. Since the song's buzz died down, we haven't heard much from the British rap artist, outside of the birth of her first child in early 2009.

But, she hasn't been stagnant, she's been hard at work.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine, M.I.A. said that she's hard at work on the follow-up to 2007's Kala, which should hit this summer.

She also revealed that she's been working almost exclusively with Baltimore producer Blaqstarr, which has results in music not too "gimmicky" or "hipstery."

"[He] simply makes music that sounds good, and I needed that," M.I.A. told the mag. "I definitely needed to come to music on this album, to make music. I don't want it to be gimmicky or silly or hipstery."

So far, M.I.A. calls the as-yet-untitled album "honest"

"I just want to be real, whatever that is," she explained. "Even if my songs are sh**, and if I have flaws and if I'm confused, if I offend people or if I don't offend people, I might try to work it out in public, just so you know that it’s OK to think, that thinking's not a dirty word."

Also this time around, M.I.A. says she'll be singing again -- something she strayed away from on Kala.

One of the new songs she's created is a track called "I'm Down Like Your Internet Connection," which features Filipino Verizon workers singing on the hook. According to M.I.A., she's been frustrated with her internet provider as of late, helping in the inspiration for the new track.

"I was having issues with my cable and wireless, and I was on the phone [with tech support] for three hours, and I thought, 'Maybe this needs to be part of my music, could you just learn these lyrics and sing it down the phone to me?' Ten phone calls later, I have Internet that sticks and a song," she explains.