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M.I.A turns down Pepsi, Coke ad, refuses to `sell out`

Maya Arulpragasam, better known as M.I.A has, turned down offers to become the face for both Coca-Cola and Pepsi as she does not want to "sell out".

London: Srilankan hip-hop star Maya Arulpragasam, better known as M.I.A has, turned down offers to become the face for both Coca-Cola and Pepsi as she does not want to "sell out".
The `Paper Planes` hitmaker has become an in-demand pitchwoman, but she insists that she will accept a commercial only when she is in dire need of money, reported Contactmusic. The 33-year-old who has a 1-year-old son with fiance, Benjamin Brewer, heir to the Warner Music Group and Seagram Breweries, said that she will accept a deal to sponsor the music career of her protégés. "One day, I`m going to lose the battle and just say yes, but I want to be able to be like, `Yeah, I made a sacrifice, but at least I have about 10 other people behind me who are worth it and who are going to benefit from that money," said the artiste. On M.I.A.`s roster of talent are cult indie act Sleigh Bells and rapper Rye Rye. M.I.A who was nominated for an Oscar along with AR Rahman for their collaboration `O Saya` from the film `Slumdog Millionaire`, had stirred controversy with her new video `Born Free` which was banned by Youtube for it`s violent content. Directed by Romain Gavras, the video follows a group of US soldiers who invade a town and hunt down redheads to be massacred in the desert. PTI