Female rap’s newest, and most unlikely, representative is Iggy Azalea; a sexy, twang-voiced white chick from Australia. A mix somewhere between Gwen Stefani and Crocodile Dundee, Azalea seems to know what it takes to make a hit.
While Azalea may be from the land down under, don’t expect her to be rapping about UGG boots, wallabies and Steve Irwin–in fact, don’t expect her to be rapping about anything at all. Her delivery is unique and her voice, painfully like no one elses, but her lyrics truly fail to hold much substance.
If you are looking for the storytelling rhymes of Azalea’s debut, twerk-ready single, “Work,” you will be disappointed with the remaining 14-tracks on her freshmen release. Euro club-ready “Bounce” and her Rita Ora-assisted “Black Widow,” lack any true lyrical structure but do hold what it takes to move a room.
The Iggy on her debut album seems like a far cry from the Iggy of the past. Her first three mixtapes were gritty, hyper-sexualized, trap-influenced attempts that helped catapult Azalea to the top of the underground circuit. The contemporary-Iggy has seemed to bend her style enough to garner mass appeal but not enough to be considered a complete sell-out.
With the negatives out of the way, not all is lost for the Aussie-rapper’s record. “Promise to blaze a path and leave a trail for the next,” pledges Azalea on “Impossible is Nothing,” a track where the hip-hop-newcomer voices support for any upcoming artists, and the album’s secret weapon, “Goddess,” where Azalea’s delivery in the second verse proves her raw talent, both showcase what more this album could have been.
Azalea is quick to name Tupac Shakur and Missy Elliott as her greatest inspirations and so far has seemed to capitalize on what she’s learned from them. Azalea was enrolled in one of the coveted spots on XXL Magazine’s Freshmen List in 2012 and her hit “Fancy,” became the undeniable song of summer in 2014, holding the top spot on the Billboard 2oo Chart longer than any other female rap artist in history.
Is Azalea’s debut “The New Classic,” a complete contradiction of its name? No, but it is definitely not what it claims. Yes, Azalea is a rapper, but do not expect her freshmen release to be a rap album. Take it for what it is–a solid pop debut.
