For the past two weeks, my life has been consumed by the songs of Iggy Azalea. I had heard of the rapper here and there over the last couple years, but it wasn’t until the other weekend when my sister introduced me to the song “Work.” I instantly became a fan as the two of us were chanting “work, work, work, work” with our hands in the air. Iggy (born Amethyst Amelia Kelly) hails from the small town of Mullumbimby in Australia, and if you’re looking for a genuine “started from the bottom” story, this one may be it. Iggy became passionate about hip‐hop at a young age, which in turn, isolated her from peers and, among other things, gave her the drive to say goodbye and move onto bigger and better things. After dropping out of school to help her mother clean houses, Iggy left Australia at only 16 years-old to accomplish her dreams of becoming a rapper in America.
From Miami to Houston to Atlanta, Azalea eventually came to work with people such as Diplo, Pusha T, and Mike Posner. Receiving attention for her mixtape Ignorant Art, Iggy reached out to southern rapper T.I. for production on her debut EP, Glory, on which he was featured on the track “Murda Bizness.” Although he’s still a mentor, she moved onto other producers for the debut full‐length, The New Classic, which was released the other week (on April 22nd).
I have nothing but respect for this girl, as it’s evident she has a clear goal in mind and will work her ass off for it. Although her flow and style may be different from what you’re used to, if you enjoy female rap you may end up loving Iggy. She represents The New Classic in the sense that she’s part of the evolution that’s happening with hip‐hop right now – and personally I find it really exciting. Check out her Facebook and Twitter for updates!
If you’ve been a fan of Iggy Azalea from the start, let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.
