M.I.A. (Maya Arulpragasam)

AGE: 31
OCCUPATION: Rapper, singer- songwriter, artist
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0

PRO: Even if you've never heard of the genre-blending bhangra- and reggae-influenced rapper, her Sri Lankan refugee backstory or her new hit album, Kala, you've probably heard "Paper Planes," her intense and infectious single: it's the one with the rhythmic gunshot chorus. (Bang, bang, bang, bang...click, ka-ching!)

CON: A hit single can be a curse: it'd be a shame if one of hip-hop's most vital innovators were dismissed as a ringtone.