Over the weekend, the tide against Iggy Azalea took a distinct turn. I can’t even keep track of all the musicians who’ve stirred up the Iggy pot. In the past few months, Nicki Minaj has tossed plenty of shade. Eminem threatened her with his gross lyrics, and Snoop Dogg made fun of her looks. Iggy’s been the subject of criticism by her fellow artists for at least a year, but I think her AMA win for Best Hiphop album and Grammy nomination fueled the fire.
Like I said, this weekend was a bad one for Iggy. Someone claiming to represent the hacker group Anonymous threatened to release a damaging video. I also hesitate to mention Azealia Banks, but she and Iggy squabbled on Twitter all weekend long. You can read about it here. I don’t want to specifically talk about Azealia because she’s always fighting with someone. She’s constantly begging for attention, and this situation is no exception.
What I find much more interesting is the civilized lecture that Q-Tip (the respected and acclaimed rapper, formerly of A Tribe Called Quest) laid down to Iggy this weekend. Can a Twitter lecture be considered civilized? Yeah, Q-Tip pulled it off. Jezebel has compiled all 40 of his tweets on the subject, and you can read them here. He spoke at length about the historical and political origins of rap music. You should read what he said. Then consider how Iggy’s mentor, T.I., took to Twitter on Sunday night to defend her:
(1) Yes @IGGYAZALEA @QtipTheAbstract all these facts are true. This is useful info to absorb as U find yourself in da midst of several people
(2) who U may not share many things in common with besides #HipHop. Understanding the plight assists U in knowing how to accept,respect…
(3) & live in harmony even without a boatload of similarities.
(4) Also what I think my big Bruh kinda left out is that OUR people (blacks in America,& HIPHOP) have had much less qualified White People
(5) come along & manipulate our culture for their own pers gain. This lead to an almost incoherent overly defensive, paranoid sense of…
(6) “All White People Wanna Steal Our Sh*t” mentality. Now as difficult as this is to believe…. We think all white people who do our sh*t…
(7) gotta kiss our a** or we don’t like em!!! “Dey shady!!!” (Lol No pun intended) But me knowing U,Eminem,and a handful of other…
(8) (just so happen to be) white people who were inspired by our culture allowed ME TO SEE, that not all white people out to steal our culture..
(9) There are some that merely wish to contribute to it. And I’d be less than ME if I didn’t say that… If WE don’t allow u guys the same…
(10) …rights & respect we KNOW WE DESERVE in other areas of humanity… WE’RE ALL JUST A BUNCH OF HYPOCRITES. AND THATS NOT HIP HOP!!!!
(11) So in a nutshell, absorb da info…apply it where most useful,and above all KEEP SHINING,FOLLOW YOUR HEART,& STAY TRUE TO WHO U ARE!!!
(12) I know u don’t deserve all da negative sh*t that comes your way. But like I’ve told u before, it just kinda comes wit da territory…
(13) when u gain so much positive attn SO FAST! It all balances out. I know u been broke,hungry& disgusted before,so I know u know just like I do
(14) It COULD BE A LOT WORSE. If dis all U gotta put up wit/sacrifice to earn our very above average lifestyles….
[From T.I. on Twitter]
God, this is such a mess. A group of grown-ups — professional musicians, all of them — argued on Twitter all weekend long! Social media used to be a great way for people to share bits and pieces of information. Now it’s a mud-slinging arena, but I guess that’s human nature. Responses to T.I.’s tweets invariably referenced Iggy’s “runaway slave master” lyrics.
Anyway. T.I. has a vested interest in Iggy’s success. He’s also spoken out on her behalf before by saying she can’t be racist because she’s not American. So I don’t place much stock in anything T.I. says, but he’s not the only artist defending Iggy. Nelly spoke to Sydney Confidential to tell Iggy that the “haters” don’t matter: “Iggy’s my girl and Em (Eminem) is a great artist. Listen, if you are big enough that Eminem is talking about you, he is mentioning your name.” In other words, Nelly believes it doesn’t matter what people say … as long as they’re saying something.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN
The reverse racism here is equally vile. The other rappers should be ashamed of themselves.
Reverse racism though?
There were comments, not by Q Tip, by another one via Twitter that basically pointed out Iggy’s ‘whiteness’ and how she is culturally appropriating material, whatever that means – the female rapper that she had an argument with.
To me, when you’re targetting someone by their skin colour, it’s still racism in the reverse.
@Em that’s not how it works though, racism has to have two traits – privilege and power. White people have both. The ethnic minorities do not. And white people do not share the same history of oppression like ethnic minorities do, it’s not the same at all honey. And although Azealia Banks has said many problematic things in the past, her saying that Iggy Azalea has been successful as a rap artist not because she’s a good enough rapper but because of her skin isn’t racist either. It’s the truth, it may be hard to hear but it doesn’t make it any less true.
“Reverse racism, lol”
@dani2
Are you saying minorities cannot be racist? Only white people are racist? That seems inaccurate.
@Stef Leppard Can minorities be racist? nope. Can they be prejudiced? Yeah. It’s like saying that women are just as sexist as men, that’s not possible because we do not have the same level of economic, political and institutional power as they do. I’m not saying white people cannot be hurt by racial prejudice but this whole “reverse racism” “racism is racism” argument is BS because racial prejudice aimed at white people does not have the same weight of institutional oppression behind it.
rac·ism
ˈrāˌsizəm
noun
the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.
It may be an intriguing debate, but nowhere in the definition of racism have I ever seen any qualification of weight of institutional oppression. One could say affirmative action equals everything out so the point is moot – not true. Racism is racism.
WHY CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? Some people just want to get along. Some are inspired by cultures, or even raised by them. What does it mean to “act white” and why does it matter? Why didn’t people get pissed at The Beastie Boys?
To me, if she is targeted and discriminated solely due to her skin color, it IS racism (only in reverse). It doesn’t matter if historically white people have “privilege and power”. If black people have privilege and power and they are targeted based on their skin color, that is ALSO racism. Having privilege and power does not make it okay to discriminate the individual based on skin color or background. I think her music is crap, but she has three things working against her: She’s not American (rap originated in the US), she’s a woman (even black female rappers work much harder than their male counterparts in the industry), and she’s white (the rap industry is predominantly black). The hate is strong for this one.
The idea that black people can’t be racist because there needs to be two variables in place – power and privilege – has come out of the colleges / universities in the last 10-20 years. It’s a theory taught as fact and has become embedded in the psyche of many.
Personally, if you discriminate on the basis of race, you’re being racist. Simple. No need to complicate it by requiring that hurdles be jumped in order for the definition to apply.
Either way, it’s hate based on something the other person can’t control. How that is ever excusable is beyond me.
@Scarlett I wasn’t going to comment on the racism part of this post but you have encouraged me to do so. First, reversed racism, um no. Like someone already said racism is just racism. Now what frustrate me is when well knowing people say Blacks can’t be racist because they lack power. Racism is not just about power, it’s also about thinking one race is superior over the others and a strong dislike or hate for another race.
Saying Whites can be victimized by racism maybe a difficult argument to make. But let me tell you if you think that there aren’t any Black people in power that are racist you are wrong. Now I understand that Whites have the majority of power on a wider scope but some Blacks have power. If I’m the owner of lets say BET and I decided I don’t want too many White people working at my company simply because they are White, then I’m a racist. I’m a racist simply because I’m in power of my own business and refused to hire a person due to the color of their skin. If President Obama didn’t want to appoint Hilary in her now abandon position as Sec of State simply because she is White, well he’s a man in power who is a racist. I knew, well still know a Black man here in NY who has his own business and he refuse to hire Whites because he doesn’t think it will sit well with the Black community he works in. He’s a racist. I understand that because of History Whites are the main culprits of racism but White people do not hold the monopoly over racism. Just because as a whole there are more Whites in power than Blacks doesn’t mean that they are the only group of people who can be racist.
Another thing, I wonder if some posters may not realize that when they say “Blacks can’t be racist because racist people have power” that you might just be offending the same group of people you think you’re defending. You’re basically saying, oh Black people, they don’t have any power. On a wider scale when compared to Caucasians as a whole, Blacks don’t have as much power as them. But to say Blacks don’t have power is almost falling into a racist way of thinking. Why do most people only look at the power side of racism. Anyone in a powerful position that can turn someone away based on their race is a racist. Anyone who hates another person because of the color of their skin is a racist. Anyone who believes their race is superior over the other races is a racist. They’re not just prejudiced, judging people based on stereotypes and perceptions. When a Black man harms a White man simply because he doesn’t like White people he committed a hate crime and that falls under racism just as iit would if it’s the other way around. Some people on this site called the housewife of Beverly Hill Brandy a racist because she made a Black joke. If racism is all about White power please tell me what power does that woman have over me. What power does a so called racist Hillbilly have over me.
Not every White person have power. They may have White privilege but without the power.
Lastly posters, there is no need to jump all over a certain poster because she called it reverse racism. There are a lot of well educated people who have published articles that calls it reverse racism and even use examples such as Affirmative Action as proof. But like another poster said, it’s just racism.
@V4Real I don’t know what in my comments inspired you to post but it does seem we agree on this issue.
I’d stick to the definition of racism to keep it simple. I see the issue here as a white woman who is excelling in a predominantly black field. She is and has been getting attacked since day 1. Is she supposed to step down? I don’t understand.
The President is black, so it just does not make logical sense to say it is not possible for blacks to be racist based on power. Who has more power than the President? Is he considered oppressed even though he runs our country?
Yes we have a huge racial divide/problem with racism in this country. I grew up in the deep south and have devoted much of my life’s studies to equality – affirmative action, racial equality in the UK, gender issues, MLK’s vision, etc. I have given money, time, and heart to helping to rectify something despicable my ancestors did yet personally had no control over. I have also given to educating those around me to not judge people based on their race. I’m down to discuss 24/7 as I yearn to learn more about how we can move forward. The only way we can make progress is through open and honest discussion.
But to me it just seems useless to try to pull people down based on silly awards or how big their butt is. Where are we going with that? Certainly not in a direction of acceptance or togetherness.
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”
The brotherhood of $h!tty, generic, award winning, commercial music. Let’s do it!
Hate is not progressive, its just hate. I’d much rather see Nicki Minaj, Azelia Banks, and the like just make something better. Prove it to the industry, let it rule the underground airwaves. Be legendary. DO SOMETHING YOU LOVE RATHER THAN BRING DOWN THOSE YOU HATE.
V4Real, thank you for that in-depth piece on racism. I believe that it’s straight forward – racism is hating someone based on their race or skin color. Power and privilege don’t play a role in it.
Black people, white people, Asian people, basically anyone from any race can be racist (I’m Asian and I have seen a lot of racist behavior from my own people against others. These aren’t so called powerful or privileged people, but their words and actions of hatred against someone based solely on their race makes them RACIST in my eyes)
Ugh people racism is not simple bigotry. Racism deals with several components . One includes the notion that races are fundamentally different by nature. Another is that one race is naturally superior. Another is the notion that those differences make it impossible for races to live together. Consequently, segregation or societies where the superiors rule over the interiors strictly are seen as the only solutions.
So yes power and entitlement need to be present and the notion of reverse racism is ill informed.
Australia banks is bigoted and a trash talker and that can touch on race and class and region. But no she’s not a reverse racist cause racism is not reversible – it doesn’t work that way.
Which other rappers? Does that include Q-Tip who was so eloquent and went out of his way to engage Iggy Azalea in a civilized discussion.
I thought QTip was valid, but why did he feel the need to school Iggy at all? What has she done… except be successful? That’s her crime?
Thank you. Q-tip did not have to speak out or try and educate her and the people who follow her. I don’t think people are being racist towards her. They are calling her out on her shit. I know a lot of celebs didn’t say anything about the lack of inditement in the death of Eric Garner and people were questioning her about it on Twitter, since she is a “rapper”, her bf is black etc. and she apparently had not much to say ( again she wasn’t the only one) and was dismissive of the whole thing, and was only concerned with her upcoming tour. I really think that is when more people started turning on her.
No not him, the one she was in a Twitter bust up with. I read this story on the Australian media as well.
In response to Talie. Questionable lyrics like KA states below and tweets showing how she does not understand how intertwined hip hip is with socio-political matters regarding blacks.
“Reverse racism” nope nope nope
Reverse racism occurs when people who are usually the targets of racism by other idiots, use the same type of discrimination. In this case, commentary about Iggy’s whiteness and her cultural appropriation.
Reverse racism doesn’t exist though. Black rappers calling Iggy out on her whiteness and the privilege it has afforded her career is not racist at all.
you are right that there is no reverse racism. it is racism. the dictionary defines it like EM says.
@sara Still a big noooooope. For a more complete and thorough answer, refer to @Icy Blue below. Thanks for trying.
Nopeing the F*ck out on that as well .. this is not a thing that exist
Em: “Reverse racism” does not exist. By definition, racism exists when a privileged group exerts its privilege over another group. Currently, people of the white cis variety still experience privilege.
I’m not saying it’s acceptable for a minority group to say something problematic or hateful, but it’s important to remember what racism is (and isn’t).
Oh EM sweetheart, I want you to repeat the words “reverse racism” and understand what you’re actually saying before you use it in a sentence. You’re comparing a woman getting called out because she is knowingly using her status as a somewhat attractive white woman to get accolade in a genre that she doesn’t have the talent for, as compared to black people who have to fight to survive at all, and use hip hop, to a certain extent, as their voices of resistance. It is not racism. It’s a woman who is not very talented getting called out for doing things such as ‘vocal blackface’ so that she can be in the rap game but still distance herself from it. The general public may want to reward her for that, but people can and should call her out.
Plus, once again, she’s awful as a rapper. At least Eninem can spit. Iggy doesn’t write her own stuff and has no flow.
@EM
White people are never going to get the same type of discrimination black people and other POC get because the discrimination toward POC extends beyond hurt feelings.
Are you very stoned?
Predjudice, yes. But to say this is “reverse racism” given the very definition of racism is laughable. If you can’t grasp that, you’re not really trying to.
Let me just add my ‘reverse racism lol’ comment because seriously, some people here are clueless. And to keep on defending this Tumblerific term is fucking sad tbh.
@g.
People don’t seem to realise about the racism behind Iggy’s voice. I don’t think they ever heard the girl speak because otherwise they wouldn’t come in here and defend her racist homophobic ass. At least, that’s what I hope…
“Reverse Racism” CACKLE SCREAM. You tried it.
Reverse racism does not exist. Black people in America are not in a powerful group that can harm a white person. Iggy is not being harmed, infact she is being rewarded for missapropriating black music. Some black people are protesting about that and some others are showing their prejudices against her, the operative word being prejudiced not racist One of those things is much more than the other and involves institutionalised power. The people on twitter doing that don’t have that power and nor does Azalea Banks. Iggy, by virtue of her race hat the power to trash and missapropriate and yet REVERSE RACISM it is. Sigh.
“Misappropriating black music”? Puh-lease. Music is music. Art is art. You can’t segregate creativity by qualifying it as black or white. What’s next? Are we going to come for Sam Smith because he’s a white man singing R&B, a genre almost exclusively dominated by black artists?
no such thing as reverse racism. only those with the power can be “racist” duh
Reverse racism? What does that even mean? Racism is racism is racism. If she’s being attacked for her skin color, it’s racism. If she’s being attacked because she’s not talented, it’s appropriate and I agree.
@writeitoff She is being attacked for her skin color IN RELATION TO THE FACT THAT she has zero talent yet is still being nominated for Grammys, does that make sense now?
Also, reverse racism still does not exist.
@Tiffzlan I don’t even really think she’s being attacked for being white in relation to anything. She’s being attacked for having zero talent, having insensitive slightly racist lyrics and for just generally being involved in something she knows little to nothing about. I was just making a point that it’s not reverse racism. It’s not racism either. No one’s saying that cracker bitch, thinking she can make black music. They’re saying this out of touch, privileged white girl should stop running her mouth in regards to a culture she has no real understanding of.
@writeitoff My apologies for misunderstanding your words then. I completely agree with everything you said. Thank you for correcting me, and sorry again!
No apology necessary! We’re on the same team 😊
So let me catch up….only white people have the ability to be racist??? Because of privilege?
If black people make racial slurs towards a white person such as calling them a cracker or such, they are not racist? I encounter that on a regular basis. But since these black people making these comments work in the dietary area of the hospital vs being a RN or secretary, they are without privilege. So these comments aren’t racist, just rude?
I’m sorry but other races are more than capable of being racist.
@suckmyfarts – please pick up a dictionary and look up the definition of racism; if that’s what you think your anecdote describes, you are seriously lacking in education.
@SteaminSam – Racism has multiple definitions, so maybe you need to pick up a dictionary. “3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.”
P.S. I’m not defending anyone. I’m just pointing out that ANYONE can be racist, even minorities.
There is a difference between racism and discrimination. People of all colors can be racist and are racist. If you dislike others on the basis of skin color, hold on to stereotypes on the basis of race, etc.–then that is racism. Discrimination — using power that you have through whatever means in order to withhold from others (jobs, housing, etc.) on the basis of THEIR race — is discrimination. Yes you have to have power of some type to discriminate. But you can be racist without the power to discriminate.
And now to the subject matter of the post. I am so over reading the immature ranting of these two. Someone should take their twitter accounts away and send them to bed without any supper.
SteaminSam, sorry–but someone isn’t ignorant simply because they haven’t reached the same conclusions that you have. Get over yourself.
Lolz is it really “reverse racism” to point out that an Australian woman comes to America, jacks someone’s name, imitates a bad Southern accent and is ( commercially) winning because she’s white? White rappers have come before her with little to no fan-fare. Eminem had a whole movie based on how “real” he was. Trust that people are going in on this chick for a reason.
Eminem has been widely successful, because he IS so “real.” You can absolutely be white and successful in hip hop, as long as you come correct. People’s problem with Iggy is her – as someone upthread called it – vocal blackface. Her trying to inflect her raps with the rhythm and dialect that is indigenous to southern blacks. And her history of past racist lyrics, i.e. likening herself to a slave master, before gaining commercial success.
First things first I’m da rilllist
Wouldn’t “reverse racism” literally mean there is NO racism???
Iggy Azalea is a terrible rapper/song writer in my opinion (can’t rap worth crap, no stage presence, etc). If she wants to play in the big leagues, she’s going to have to educate herself, which she obviously has not done.
LOL there’s always at least one comment like this. Embarrassing.
Lol, I want to be in a place in society where I can worry about ‘reverse racism’ it sounds like a lot of fun actually.
“Whaah these black rappers are saying mean things to me! Whaah! …but it’s normal for fellow rappers to be aggressive to one another and for me to clap back via a rap battle or lyric? But I dont wanna do that! Whaah! I want to complain on Twitter! The mere fact every word said to me is diligently reported on while other female rappers are thrown under the bus? Doesn’t matter! Whaah!”
Gosh sounds like the good life.
Reverse racism is also imaginary
No.
NO.
Reverse racism, smdh.
Please watch this hilarious Aussie comic nail why reverse racism is simply not real!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dw_mRaIHb-M
Predjudice, yes. But to say this is “reverse racism” given the very definition of racism is laughable. If you can’t grasp that, you’re not really trying to.
My first comment was one I’d said up thread. What I was going to say was that the comic in that YouTube was hilarious and spot on.
She’s really pretty!
Agreed!!! But ugh, her music is horrid.
Disagree.
Agree. And I like her music. I think people are just pissed because they feel unless you’re a minority from a lower socio-economic class, you shouldn’t be doing hip hop. I wouldn’t go so far as to say racist, but they are definitely prejudiced. No one wants to be prejudged, treat others as you want to be treated.
No one pre-judged her. We judged her by her music, which sucks, and her public persona, which is entitled and whiny on a good day.
…because it’s not like we didn’t have black rappers from the middle and upper-class doing the job. Kanye West is celebrated and popular as hell and he’s rapped about being middle-class and the unique burden of it.
Also how is it ‘pre-judging’ when people are judging her for the things she’s doing now…like just last week or so?
Seriously? That sounds like something Barbie would be programmed to say in the 1960s.
I thought Azealia Banks was talented at one point, and exciting. But the vile she spouted on Hot97 was just beyond. The things she said about TI and his wife, too. Ugh…
Furthermore, why Iggy? Oh, because she found a whole lot of success, right? If you don’t like her music, change the channel. Don’t project your own issues on to her — this is America. She can perform whatever kind of music she wants.
Azealia Banks is very talented. She’s just not a very nice person. And Iggy has the right to perform whatever style of music she wants, but other people have the same right to call her out on her nonsense.
I’m mostly just disappointed in Banks here because she doesn’t need to do this (so publicly) for attention. She is genuinely talented and unique. Now she’ll be “famous” for feuding with another female rapper instead of her skills.
My guess is that Banks is very jealous of Iggy’s success. I’m not familiar with Banks’ music at all, but from what I’ve read online, she is the far superior rapper when compared to Iggy Azalea. She probably thinks that all the success and positive attention Iggy has should be rightfully hers.
That interview actually made me like her to be honest. And don’t take what she said about TI’s wife out of context. She was basically saying that they are making a fool out of his wife (another biracial-black woman) on TV in a very stereotypical way and he is far more interested in defending Iggy against things that are somewhat indefensible. She didn’t go in on her looks. She said Tiny can’t read and they exploited that on TV. She was right. I get that T.I has a stake in Iggy’s career, but she was SPOT ON about that. She wasn’t very nice about it but she was SPOT ON.
Tiny makes a fool out of herself most of the time, TV just highlighted that.
GAH!!! I forgot that was his wife. I think I had a mental block ever since reading about her changing her eye color. (shudders…..)
I don’t think what she said about TI and his wife was out of line. She was pointing out that his wife gets exploited on TV for fulfilling a stereotypical role as a black woman and TI doesn’t care. Meanwhile, his white protege is picked on and he’s so quick to her defense
Azealia didn’t mention this, but TI’s wife has also been insulted for her appearance in rap songs. But I don’t think TI has ever defended her.
She is talented.
Because Iggy is the epitome of how cultural appropriation works; how white mediocrity is awarded over black excellence EVEN in a culture invented by Blacks.
It doesn’t help that Iggy seems to be totally detached from Black issues and the cultural and political meaning of the music she makes.
I was just thinking your thoughts when the previous commenter said, “This is America” all proudly.
LMAO, yup, THIS is America. Black rapper turning to a mediocre white rapper for a wallet boost because he knows she’ll be more successful than any black artist he could support. Then having to run from the valleys and hills to save her from everyone rightfully calling her out on her bullsht of appropriating his culture while his wife is currently successful for acting the fool on TV fulfilling stereotype after stereotype.
There is TOO MUCH being projected on to Iggy Azaela… she’s just another entertainer. She doesn’t symbolize what people think she does. That gives her a lot of power, which she doesn’t even want.
“Because Iggy is the epitome of how cultural appropriation works; how white mediocrity is awarded over black excellence EVEN in a culture invented by Blacks.”
This is SUCH a PERFECT description.
@Claire I was thinking the same.
@Duckie love your comment.
Damn, Amy! Brutal comment…and 100% true. Slow clap.
I don’t like Azealia Banks but if you actually heard what she said – and has been saying about Iggy for a long time now – her points are valid and true.
Agree. I disagree with Azealia on a lot of things but she actually has a point here.
Agreed, in the same way a Broken clock can be right twice, Azealia Banks has all the points here.. additionally Though Ebro was Patronizing as HELL to her in that interview, Cause a Male Rap artist getting in squabbles wouldn’t have gotten this paternalistic chastising on air) She herself came off very well, passionate about her music, what she stands for, and able to get her points across
QQ- I wanted to slap the hell outta Ebro.
I don’t think Ebro spoke to her as an equal, but rather as a father to a daughter. I did think his advice to her about focusing on the music more than social media was practical.
Hopefully Azealia can build a stronger mainstream presence and end up having a better platform to speak on.
But I think that advice also would have been more effective if it was off the air. It would come off as more genuine.
Her message gets lost in her delivery.
Yeah this. I do wish she was more stable because she does speak so much truth, it just gets muddled with the other crap.
She does have questionable lyrics in her music. I’m on the side of Q-tip. You can’t immerse yourself in a culture and then be insensitive to the people who mostly listen to it and have some interest in it. It’s like me converting to Judaism, yet making light of the Holocaust. The lyrics where she called her self a “slave master handling a whip” is one of the most disgusting things.
He was totally right but nobody has to listen to her anyways. The less attention she gets the more likely TI is to move on to the next cash cow or whatever their connection is
The Azealia Banks thing is not just her begging for attention. She does shoot off her mouth and should work on sounding coherent and less whiny. That said I think she has some legitimate arguments going, it’s just had to tell because she gets emotional and has limited impulse control.
Thank you!!! Azealia has valid points to make. It’s not about being attention seeking but getting people to listen.
Please, all about Azealia Banks is about attention seeking!
I don’t even like Iggy Azalea but it’s obvious that Azealia Banks’ problem with Iggy Azelia is just jealousy. AB is as irrelevant and vile as IA, they should both go away.
Exactly. No Azealia is easy for some to write-off because she gets too emotional and sometimes sloppy but she’s spoken hard truths about this girl. We can admit she’s probably jealous without dismissing her comments because it really only confirms them.
She’s a dark skinned black girl in hip hop so she gets no love.
The problem is that she’s burning her name in the industry with these outbursts.
Banks made many great points in her radio interview, but she comes across so batter and hateful towards so many on twitter that it doesn’t help her. She’s always in a fight on twitter. Like about T.I., saying horrible things about his wife, and lashing out at everyone, even throwing Bill Cosby in the interview saying he basically doesn’t matter and why is he being focused on. When she on twitter really went after T.I. and his family that T.I. lost it and was just as bad on twitter because of the things she said about his wife. Eminem has always been accepted more so because he’s a brilliant rapper and grew up in the rough part of town and the hip-hop culture and basically paid his dues.
I get the frustration and points Banks made. It’s hard enough to be a female rapper in the business, but then a white female rapper, who isn’t that great, especially compared to much better female rappers, comes along and is the right package to sell and is being nominated for things and Banks feels is not understanding or respecting the black culture this music came out of. Yet, the Grammy’s will probably award her a Grammy, like they did with Macklemore instead of Kendrick Lamar, who most agree deserved it for his brilliant album. I mean, Macklemore won four Grammy’s, Kendrick Lamar zero. Something is wrong there.
To think last year I was lamenting Macklemore! He seems awesome in comparison to Iggy. I can’t stand Macklemore, but he did many things that Iggy didn’t bother to do. He understands that he benefits from white privilege and goes out of his way to admit to it in his music and in his promotion of his music. He also spent time developing his skills as a rapper and cultivating a unique voice. I don’t care much for his art, but he has a point of view that is his own. There is nothing new about Iggy’s music.
Yeah Banks goes off the deep end hard but I do feel bad for her.
She’s not the worst and she has issues (but seriously listen to her interviews on her childhood, it’ll break your heart) but it seems like she really love music and it pains her to see how her own career has been sacrificed to prop up this fool.
I’ll be honest I was originally cool with Iggy when she first came out (way ol back in the mixtape days and My World) but after realizing she was faking the way she spoke, the ass implants, the racist comments and the weak rapping plus the “I think the way I rap is fun, tee hee” I washed my hands and feel total disgust for her now. I could only imagine how much I’d hate her if I was in the music industry and was watching this sht go down in person.
I can’t get past her Pinnochio butt.
It’s fake. Just Youtube the Jingle Ball performance….not there at all.
So since she can’t accuse Q-Tip of bullying or being sexist, she calls Clifford to step in and cape for her. He is such an embarrassment.
Lmao. Has T.I just given up on his own career? He spends so much time running behind this girl defending her and begging for apologies for her.
I still can’t believe she ran to T.I. and had him call Snoop so he would apologize to her.
And it wasn’t just Snoop making fun of her looks. A lot of people were saying she looked like Marlon Wayans from White Chicks. A lot of celebs gets talking about in this manner. You have to suck it up Iggy if you’re going to survive in this business and not go running to daddy T.I. every time someone hurts your feelings.
LMAO at “Clifford”
#FactsOnlyTiffany27Post
Also… Banks wasn’t lying about his wife acting an undereducated mess on TV, either
T.I better be sure about this investment because when Iggy flounders or claws her way into another genre he will not live this down with his fans.
Oh no that’s her genre now. If you watch the video of her trying to do the Britney Spears thing it was struggle defined. After this, thankfully she’ll just fade away.
Iggy is NOT contributing to the culture! Sit down TI and shame on you. TI knows that Iggy isnt doing anything new or innovative, shes not even writting anything. Her whole shtick is that shes a white girl who can immitate a black girl from a poor neighbourhood somewhere. Slate had a great piece about how even the way she spits certain lines is stolen from othet artistes. Like literally she sits in a corner and listens to a black artist say a certain line and then repeats it with the lyrics shes been fed.
Her big calling card is that she can give you some mediocre level rap and a white face/butt implants to jerk it to.
For what it’s worth, I’m a Norwegian Italian German, white as snow, and I have this body type. Also, my adolescence spanned the 90’s and, as such, rap was a HUGE part of my musical influence. My first impression of Iggy was ‘YES’.
Yeah her butt doesn’t necessarily look fake to me. If it’s fake it’s on the tasteful/believable side at least! She does play it up though, maybe that’s considered cultural appropriation to some?
It’s fake as all getup. She’s a column build, and then she has this giant butt that’s so big you can actually see it peeking over in a front view…I forget what event she wore that silver column dress to… it was ridiculous. Youtube her Jingle Ball performance…no butt!
Oh deary me. She is a classic pear shape if ever there was one. Small chest and waist, wide hips and thighs. Even the larger calves. No column about her.
We are all made of stars, I’ll check it out. is this more offensive than the butts of khloe/ Kim k (who love dating black guys), jlo, or especially nicki? I really enjoy nickis music but to me her bottom is obnoxiously fake.
My body isn’t that different from iggys (except that now I had kids and am chubby). But originally I was b cup small shoulders slim arms and ribs good waist no gut and big butt and medium legs. (So, more like Beyoncé!) So the only difference is her legs under her curvy butt are really quite slim. I find butt implants beyond bizarre (would be like sitting on a weird pillow) Gosh I hope my kids will never want them! It’s true that an all slim body with only a butt is not common for Anglo Saxons. However gym culture has quickly become popular and advanced, so perhaps people have more natural ways to get butts now? Body builders make pretty big changes assumably without implants.
She isn’t a classic guitar shape *if it’s fake.*
Youtube this: Iggy Azalea & Charli XCX – “Fancy” Live at KIIS FM Jingle Ball 2014
Stop at 1:10 and then ask yourself where her butt has gone. Also look at her figure at the MV VMAs 2013 in the gold see-through dress, and then at the MTV MVAs 2014 in the silver dress…boy, that’s a huge difference!
Iggy is not hip hop. Period.
Just talking about her is a waste of time.
@ali ITA!
The first time I saw Iggy I thought I was watching a SNL skit. She’s a parody of hip hop. She trivializes the essence of hip hop. The reason why Eminem is embraced by the hip hop community is he doesn’t build his entire career on trying to portray stereotypes of black hip hop artists. Also, he openly acknowledged how the music industry gave him undeserved awards just because he’s white. In fact, when he was nominated and won his Oscar (which was ridiculous and he knew it), he didn’t even show up to receive the award. He always credits Dr. Dre for his success. Most importantly, Eminem can rap. He offends people like me sometimes but the guy’s got talent.
I think Iggy touches a cord with black women. For decades black women have been told our lips are too big, our bottoms are to hidden, our hips are too big, etc. Now we have white women desperately trying to achieve the same look. I’m the last one to accuse someone of plastic surgery but her bottom looks very unnatural. Implants? JLo’s bottom is very proportionate to her pear shaped body but Iggy’s does not. Iggy being nominated for a Grammy? C’mon! There are hip hop giants that wrote ALL of their lyrics and have never been nominated for a Grammy so it makes people sick and she’ll probably win too! Her songs are catchy but definitely not hip hop.
And there-in lies her uber success – her songs are catchy. It’s like hip-pop. I don’t think her success relies on her whiteness. She’s not even good-looking. She’s been successful because her songs are catchy. It’s that simple. She’s winning based on popularity – not talent. Perhaps the problem lies with those behind the awards given – basing wins on popularity v. meaningfulness or raw talent.
@jenniferjustice: her songs aren’t even catchy because of her own contributions, the catchy because they have someone else singing the hook. Fancy may be Iggy”s signature song, but everyone’s singing along with Charlie XCX. Same with Problems, same with Black Widow. Iggy’s the least popular part of her own songs.
I’ve said this before: Iggy Azalea may rap, but she’s a pop act. She’s not appealing to rap fans she’s appealing to Top 40 listeners and a bunch of girls who want something to dance to when they go out on Saturday night. For goodness sake, she’s not even the best part of her own songs – the hooks sung by others are the parts of her songs that everyone knows and Iggy’s rapping is filler.
I have no Dog in this fight and know not one of these ladies songs ( checked out of hip hop like over 10 years ago )
But isn’t Hip hop deepest tradition about beef and artist clapping back on the mike , why is the media playing up this particular beef and this lady always doing this damsel in distress routine everybody especially TI always rushing to her defense
Are we also aware of the nasty things including death threats that Rappers including TI has said to other black female rappers and why are they no tears and faux out rage for them
Hate or Love him when Eminem got dissed he retaliated in true Hip hop style on the mike with a wicked verse (rappers quickly stopped picking on him after that )
Please enough already
“Why is the media playing up this particular beef?”
Because she’s white and almost every single individual in the genre of music she’s chosen has shunned her publicly or privately. No seriously, you hit the nail on the head. If Nicki Minaj says anything slightly arrogant it gets reported on with no knowledge of hip hope culture from a white lens, conversely when poor Iggys gets her feelings hurt it has to covered through the lens of her being a victim and not her feeling the frustration of people witnessing the minstrel show of 2014.
“Are we also aware of the nasty things other rappers have said”
I honestly think no. Blacks don’t get reported on by major celebrity outlets unless it’s Riri, Bey, and Jay-Z. So a lot of stuff flies under the radar, good and bad. Now Igloo is struggling to keep her act together and TI is capeing for her…while his own wife is showing how self-hatred can be a mother.
“Hate or love Em”
He can actually rap. Iggy can’t.
Ok a few things on this mess:
1. There’s no such thing as reverse racism. NO. It’s not a thing and I cannot stand when people throw that term around as if it’s real. It’s not
2. The reason why people are giving a history lesson is because hip hop is tied directly to the history of blacks in America. You can’t untangle the two. Q-Tip said it the best so I won’t redo the lesson but there is a history of white people stealing songs and repackaging them for white people. Just take a look at the 40-70s era of rock. A lot of songs by popular white artists were first done by black artists. So when people say her rap is crap (and it is) they are made that people are buying into her packaging. It’s something that happens over and over
3. Another reason why people aren’t cool with Iggy is because she tweeted a slew of racist crap before she blew up and some of her lyrics are racist as well. Sorry but you can’t jack the sound of a culture and then turn around and put lyrics about slave masters in your song. Sorry but no
4. As for the recent political news, there are tons of rappers that have been out in the streets with everyone else lately. Why? Because at the end of the day they share the struggle. Iggy doesn’t. She gets to jack an entire culture and go home with her privilege. There was a great HuffPo article about how people like her and JB get to reap the benefits of black culture but they can deny the struggle. And that makes people upset.
Sorry for the long post
Every time I hear someone say “reverse racism” I want them to sit down and really think about what they just said. It’s like a special snowflake kind of thing. They can’t claim actual racism, or racist microaggressions, so they have to create a new word to use and then scream it whenever they get uncomfortable.
I’m white, and I’m from an incredibly white suburb. You hear this whenever things get even slightly uncomfortable. It’s like saying “I don’t like how you’re addressing the struggles if others so let’s talk about ME AND HOW HARD IT IS TO BE WHITE ONE TIME I GOT CALLED A CRACKER.” No thanks. That’s not intelligent, that’s avoidance.
And with Iggy being popular, it’s all about avoidance too. The mainstream is practically orgasming because now they have a white girl rapper and don’t have to pretend to support black female rappers anymore. It’s transparent, and is so frustrating as a rap fan. Iggy does not have the talent for all the fawning she’s getting, and her being a crappy person doesn’t make it better. I’m not watching the Grammys. Call me when Nicki or Angel Haze or SOMEBODY gets mentioned.
Ugh. Can I hug you? So much truth here.
you go, G.!
You just delivered a WORD on a Monday morning!!!!!!! Hallelujah!
And the church says AMEN.
I’m over here doing cartwheels. THANK YOU!
I can get on board with this, but why blame the consumership or the rapper? This isn’t racism from listeners. Its the whole machine that churns our music and crams it down people’s throats. You think anyone would know who Iggy is if she wasn’t supported and played ALL day every day? She gets signed, they pair her up with other song writers in the machine and those songs are played day in and out. People hear them and buy them.
This whole “she doesn’t deserve it because she’s white and doesn’t know rap history,” is pointless. I’d love to test anyone in mainstream music today on any struggles from any race. Hip hop, rap, rock, country is all meshed together and churned out by music execs who choose what is played on the radio.
I’d love to point this to someone who is shitty therefore deserves nothing, but WHO in mainstream music deserves their accolades? Not many!
Rappers are fighting with a puppet. She doesn’t control what churns out just like Niki Minaj, Katy Perry or any other Pop Tart or Rapper who signs with these execs do. She sings what they tell her to and they play it 400 times a day until we know who she is.
thanks for breaking it down in bullet form Alex. At last I can grasp what is happening here. I must be getting too old cause I could not fathom reason from any of those tweets at all.
no problem. glad people find it informative
I live in a neighborhood in NE DC that used to be 100% African American and in the last 5 years became populated by a variety of races. An African American woman threw a rock at my head the other day and said “get out whitey.” I can’t say that’s racist? Only impolite?
‘I’m white, and I’m from an incredibly white suburb. You hear this whenever things get even slightly uncomfortable. It’s like saying “I don’t like how you’re addressing the struggles if others so let’s talk about ME AND HOW HARD IT IS TO BE WHITE ONE TIME I GOT CALLED A CRACKER.” No thanks. That’s not intelligent, that’s avoidance.’
From G’s earlier comment. I’m just gonna leave this here.
Also, maybe look into gentrification.
Don’t you know, if you’re white you have no problems ever and you never have a right to complain about anything because you’re swimming in a pool of privilege. Or something.
I feel you, Kat. Why can’t we all just be honest that in everyday life, white people are singled out and much garbage is hurled at them for that alone? I’m from an insanely diverse place, and yes. We can try to paper over it with pedagogy all day, but at the end of the day, it happens, whatever you want to call it, on a person to person level. When I walk down the street and people target me with words and actions, it is what it is. Can’t tell me it isnt happening.
I don’t get those people who are saying that only those in a position of power and privilege can be racist. What about these kind of actions, like that which happened to Kat (above poster)? Don’t they count as racist acts even though the perpetrator is black and the victim is white? Racism is hatred of another person based on their race or skin color, not so much power/privilege.
So, no answers to kats question???
**crickets**
One thing that bugs me online is when Americans try to prescribe their race issues to other countries…every country has their own. Lot’s of people grew up outside the US with the influence of rap/hip-hop but without the cultural resonance…in a way, once it went global it kind of transcended it’s roots.
I’m a white, Irish girl but I come from a working class background and a culture that has been oppressed (not as recently as Black people in American of course) and is still repressed now. A lot of rap from the late 80’s/ early 90’s and beyond really speaks to me and I imagine that’s also the same thing that happened with I.A.
I’m not defending some of her ignorant lyrics, because regardless of where you come from sensitivity and decency are a thing but did she need to be schooled like this? I’m not sure. How many hip hop artists have insensitive lyrics? It seems to me that people don’t like that she’s successful and white and a woman in the rap game.
Would she be treated the same way if she weren’t? I feel like she’d just be dissed not sat down and “educated” like a small child, but that’s just my take on it.
Nobody has a problem with rap being performed by other people *authentically*. I am a huge fan of French and British rap and a lot of rappers love going to Asia and love their enthusiasm for the culture. She is being schooled over more than just her lyrics btw and when people brought that to her attention, rather than answer respectfully or IGNORE IT (as most rappers do), she complains or has T.I speak for her. People “schooled” Nicki Minaj over her “looking’ ass n*****”. People school Wayne about everything, etc. I think people’s desire to protect her from her own bullsh*t goes back to the same tropes Azealia is talking about.
Pariz hit the nail on the head. I work with a large racial/ethnic diverse group of teens whose taste in music is just as diverse but a few years ago we did what I call a hip-hop tour around the world. Basically, I took them on a music & video tour of how kids/teens & artist were using hip hop in the same ways that we have in the US. All of my kids, but especially my “white” kids, loved it when we made “tour stops” in Italy, Germany, and the UK.
I am a music lover. I have to listen to something or some artist everyday to start my day (if I want to successfully get thru it–that is) and at least one hip-hop song/artist is in that rotation. I don’t care about their race/ethnicity but I do care about their authenticity and love of the game. Hip-hop demands it even if no other genre does.
I agree that every country has their own unique set of racial dynamics and problems that cannot be compared to others. America is obviously the same. But Iggy made her name in America under American mentors and producers. She is very much involved in American culture, despite the fact that she started off in Australia. Therefore, she has the responsibility to acknowledge this privilege that has propelled her career, which includes being white. It’s not like she’s a white girl rapping in her Australian accent. She’s a white girl rapping as though she came from the streets of Atlanta, repping the Dirty South. She presents herself a certain way, she will be perceived as such.
Pariz and tizflan, those are both really fair comments on the topic. I stand by some of what I said, but I definitely will take on board your points as I think they’re pretty important things I overlooked in my original comment.
Look all I’m going to add to this is that in Australia we have our own home grown hip hop groups, rappers and artist. There is a certain aussie slang that makes it authentic to us. I guess I’m trying to say that we have bridged off with our own style with our slang and Aussie twang. ( it probably sounds horrible in my explanation but to us it’s quite popular). Izzy does not have that, there is no aussie twang or slang. Yes I relies she is marketing herself to a much bigger American market and maybe if she had spent long periods of time growing up in America that it might justify her ,” rapping” accent. But this girl didn’t. Maybe if she win the Grammy with incorporating this Aussie style into her rapping and using her own lyrics and life experiences then the award would be more authentic. But she has put on and American accent and is rapping to lyrics that she hasnt even wrote. Yes her songs sell well and have air play and yes her fake persona sells. But as far as winning a Grammy for hip hop. For her impersonating an accent and rapping lyics that she never wrote than it’s bullshit. From what I understand hip hop isn’t about who can fake it the most but who can create music that reflects ( from real accent showing where they came from) on there life and their journey. That is mixed into and beat/ music showcasing their style that makes them an artist. Ok I’ve blab on way to long and this is my aussie girl interpretation thats perhaps is way of the mark in some ways ( what hip hop/rapping is( . But I guess the point I was trying to make is we have our own style that is a break away from America. Izzy has copied or created an American persona hip/ hop rap artist, that is not authentic or real as an artist. Perhaps if she was doing lady ga ga or lana del ray style music then it would be fine but not when it comes to hip hop and rap.
@Aussie Girl
Yes, i completely agree with what you said about Iggy. That was also the point i made. Didn’t she move to Miami when she was 16? No one would have known she was Australian if they only heard her rap because she has co-opted the “Dirty South” image and persona. She doesn’t own up to it though, which is why so many other black rappers call her out. Her whiteness has certainly helped her career. If she was just genuine, writing songs about her experiences and whatnot, she’d be so much more interesting. But alas, she’d rather put on a minstrel show.
She has to acknowledge it? Like a one time public statement ?
@Dolce cream
Uh… yeah? Instead of ignoring her privilege, why not take a page out of Macklemore and Eminem’s books and recognize the advantages she has over her black peers. But white privilege ~doesn’t exist~ right, so whatever i guess… *eyeroll*
Beef is a time-honored part of rap. If she can’t take it, then she should have stuck with pop. She can’t defend herself on the mike because she is minimally talented at best. She is being condescended to because she is rudely ignoring the racial dynamics of rap, which, as Q-Tip elucidated, are an essential part of the genre. I am no fan of Eminem or Macklemore, and I’m usually the first one to cry sexism, but they do not receive this kind of treatment because their skills are far greater (especially Em) and they regularly cop to white privilege instead of crying about it every time they get called out. Nicki is a successful woman and she doesn’t get this kind of condescending treatment because her skills are self-evident. Her behavior is entitled and her music exploitative.
“Beef is a time-honored part of rap…”
And we see how well that worked out for Biggie and Tupac. Yes?
Actually Babadook, she gets treated much BETTER – not worse – precisely because she is a white woman. What has been said about her is nothing in comparison to the horrendous insults that have been thrown at black women in general and black women rappers in the same rap genre. And when black women rappers are dissed, black male rappers and everyone else NEVER stand up for them or defend them (a la T.I.), explain things nicely to them (a la Q-Tip), or even apologize to them after the insults (a la Snoop Dogg and Eminem). It is interesting that everyone is running to defend this I.A. lady, but when black female rappers have been dissed in the past …………crickets. And then people have the nerve to claim that I.A. is being victimized more.
Agreed. Hell, other rappers insult TIs own wife for her appearance in their songs and I’ve never even heard him defend her. His own wife.
@ Regarded
Well, to be honest, after he put out the song stating “I don’t want no mediocre” he was kind of asking for comments about Tiny wasn’t he? What a stupid song. He did defend Tiny though. He made some comments…but they fell on deaf ears.
I wonder if Blondie had to go through this when Rapture came out. 🙂
No, because Blondie was just being who she was~which was awesome….Iggy is something else entirely.(P.S. I don’t think Iggy even knows who Blondie is…)
This comment made me smile. Heading to youtube for a trip down memory lane now
I think a lot of this is also stemming from more people finding out about her racist and homophobic past tweets, which she has since deleted, when she was starting out a year or two ago. Some of them are pretty bad, the fact that she hasn’t shown much growth since then on social issues particularlly dealing with race, is also problematic for a lot of people.
I agree that her past comments were really inappropriate. Does this girl not have a pr team? Why would she even tweet sh*t like that? I don’t mind her music though. If people want to like it, if people want to give her awards for it, who am I to say anything? If a rapper enjoys making music for the love of the art, why bother caring about awards? Do it for the love ! Azalea Banks is extremely annoying…her main job is to start twitter beef with people…she needs to spend more time making better music if you ask me. If it wasn’t for this beef with Iggy, I wouldn’t even know who Azalea Banks is. This feud is getting her name out there.
Reverse racism will never sound like a negative thing to me, lol. I wish ya’ll would come up for a new name for perceived ‘anti-white aggression”. The continued use of the term just confirms that a lot of people psychologically “check out” of racial discourse unless it hurt their feelings.
That really is the true meaning of the false, defensive and misguided misnomer “reverse racism”. It is as if some racist linguistic manipulators decided to invent a new word to create a false equivalency in order to deflect attention from powerful institutionalised racism.
How can racism be reversed…? Racism is racism whether it’s a person of any colour been effected. I’m sorry but to me reverse racism feels like a thing that was conjured up by some white people ( and I’m white!) with out actually understanding that the word racism doesn’t just apply to people of colour( or though the world has certainly dealt it out that way) . Even though it’s a rarity for a white person to effected by racism, it doesn’t change the word and it’s kind of racist and stupid that some feel the need to add reverse in front of the word.
Meh she’s a trick, gone tomorrow, who cares.
Somebody please actually answer my comment because this is a legitimate question. How are Eminem and Iggy different from each other in terms of cultural appropriation? Doesn’t Eminem also take hip hop elements and use them to make money with the help of his skin color? I understand the “oh no, Eminem has a rough background so what he raps about is more real, Iggy is fake” argument, but I remember a while back when I did some research into Iggy and saw that she doesn’t exactly come from extreme privelege.
I think the difference, at least to me, is that Iggy is very clearly faking. Listen to her speaking voice and then the voice she raps in. It’s an affected voice. Eminem, when he raps, he doesn’t take on an affect. That’s his voice. That’s what he actually sounds like in life. Iggy deliberately alters her natural white Australian voice into a stereotype-style voice of what she thinks a black American woman sounds like. Eminem doesn’t do that. Macklemore doesn’t do that. Hell, even Vanilla Ice didn’t do that! (Snow did, let it be said). There are white rappers who don’t get accused of this stuff, and that’s because they are being authentic to themselves, at least. Iggy is very, very clearly putting on a performance when she raps, a persona based on black stereotypes, and that’s what I see as the difference.
Two reasons. First, Eminem consistently cops to white privilege. He makes a point of telling his fans that he’s only as big as he is because he’s white, which helps his white fans understand racism and their role in it. When Em has been called out for being racist, he has admitted it and profusely apologized instead of this “who, me? you’re reverse racist!” schtick Iggy is playing at. Second, Eminem is eminently talented. Iggy walked into hip-hop with minimal skills. She doesn’t write her own rhymes, what she does spit is shallow and empty, and her flow is both barely competent and copied from other people. Eminem is extremely talented and he spent a long time refining his skills, writing clever and substantive rhymes, and developing his own voice as an artist. Iggy simply has not done that. She wanted to be a star and didn’t care if she got there through pop or hip-hop. She is no student of the genre and she’s uninterested in becoming one. I don’t love Eminem because of his misogyny, but there is no denying his skill.
Eminem acknowledges and shows respect to his black influences, acknowledges that he has white privilege, and raps in his own voice about his own life. He’s also so talented that you know he didn’t just get where he is because he’s white. He also fights his own battles and handles any beef he walks into; he never went crying to Dre to protect him. None of these things are true of Iggy.
Angela and Alexis and Sam got it.
Maybe it’s because he did grow up in a very rough area but Eminem fully understands the privelages of his skin. He’s commented on it, he’s made songs about it, he’s been honest and he’s one of the few rappers who’ll say he’s gotten benefit from it and WORK to justify that privelage.
Basically he takes opportunity and doesn’t say, “I deserve this.” But “I know this is what America is and why it’s making me popular when if I was black I’d have sold half”. Arrogance is when you think you’ve earned your privelage or think you can use a genre of music and say that rapping in an entirely different voice similar to that of Southern black rappers is ‘fun’.
I had this question too, so thank you to all for the responses, it clarified a lot.
Is Justin Timberlake considered hip hop?
Nope!
The definition of racism in these comments is…odd. Head-scratchingly so. Racism is ascribing certain negative characteristics to an entire race solely on the basis of people being that particular race. Power and privilege, while useful to discussing how racism can be used as a weapon, do not actually define racism. Power and privilege may have allowed racism against certain persecuted groups to become institutionalized by the majority, but it is a complete fallacy to try to state, with a straight face, that only people who are powerful and/or privileged can be racist. That is absurd. People from every possible combination of races and ethnicities can and do use race as a basis for who they’ll be friends with, who they’ll take seriously on any given subject, who they’ll date, where they’ll live, where they’ll travel, and virtually every decision they make in their lives. That said, calling out Iggy Azalea, if there are legitimate issues with her and her music, is not “reverse racism,” because yes, that does not exist. Racism is just racism, period. If we’re saying she can’t do what she does simply because she’s white, that’s racism, friends. If we’re saying she can’t do what she does simply because she’s not very good at it, that’s criticism.
Racism is an institution.
It is not as simple as not liking someone or critizing them for the color of their skin. That is prejudice.
When we speak of racism we are speaking about an entire culture and system in society that did not merely stop when people were burning ctosses on other’s lawns but that stops African American women from wearing their natural hair with comfort, to keeping job applicants with ‘urban’ sounding names from getting phone calls back, to making teachers BELIEVE the black kids in their class are more troublesome than the whites even if there’s no evidence there.
There is NO reverse racism because there is NOTHING in power to hurt or disenfranchise Iggy. She’s cleaning house and others are commenting on all the luxury her white skin is getting her, WHILE she has made comments insulting people of several ethnic groups.
Sorry, Amy. I know, I took those same courses too in college. It is easy to boil racism down to a simple equation, R=P+P, but in practice, it doesn’t mean anything, and just confuses the issue. There is a lot of gray area here, and that equation does a particularly poor job of accounting for that. But, it’s catchy, and it’s repeated over and over as gospel and as THE definitive explanation of racism by people who don’t really take the time to think about what it means.
LMAO.
It confuses nothing, usually people are ‘confused’ when they don’t want something to make sense. There are dozens of comments explaining exactly why Iggy is being called out as a white rapper and judged. It’s not because you just can’t touch hip hop when you’re white but everything to do with previous racist comments, ignorance in anything about hip hop deeper than a weak 16 bar performance, mocking and appropriating culture that she has no attachment to and her refusal to engage in any way with the genre of music she’s chosen. I suppose all those well-written comments were confusing as well?
People can be prejudiced and say awful horrible things about someone’s skin color and hair, but when you try to frame the current issue of what’s surrounding Iggy with racism it becomes laughable. Again, please tell me how Iggy is being hurt by racism. Is she selling less? Getting less magazine covers? Less praise? Not being heaped with ridiculous titles in a 2 year span? No. The people in the industry she’s mocking are frustrated with her and calling her out and folks are so worried about the poor victim suffering under all that racism.
Enny, yes. We’ve all taken those classes and I agree with you. I’m from a diverse area and a very racially, ethnically, and even socioeconomic ally diverse family. I’ve lived it, not just read about it. You are 100% right.
Amy, I feel you, but I will counter with that Black people prejudge each other for the same things you’ve listed: light-skinned vs dark-skinned; relaxed vs. natural; sororities and frats against each other, etc.
Most rappers are just performing, not actually having experiencing the life they rap about. See Rick Ross.
There will be confusion; life experiences aren’t the same and the comments are a forum to learn and voice your point while respecting others viewpoints.
My experience as a Black person is very different from others as well but it’s those differences that makes us stronger.
Don’t pick and choose what fits your view. That leads to a closed mind.
@Enny – I believe the disconnect is between those who are using the dictionary description of racism, and those who are following the academic version put forward (I think – I’m not sure, but this is what my Google skills tell me) by W.J.Wilson.
I’ve seen many iterations of this argument on the Internet for several years now, and someone did specifically cite the origin of the “racism = power + privilege” as coming from academia, but unfortunately I can’t remember the author. Like I said, I think it’s Wilson.
In any case, it’s no surprise that the fact that people are using two different definitions of the word leads to a lot of argument.
I very much appreciate this explanation!
Yes these comments should all have *in the USA after them . There is racism all over the world. I don’t think these commenters know much about the rest of the world. One current example for everyone: follow south china morning post on Facebook. This is a newspaper founded over 100 years ago. For a while it was owned by Rupert Murdoch. Anyways look at any article about the recent Hong Kong protests or the recent Chinese tourists assaults on airplanes (nouveau rich gone violent) and see the comments, they are extremely racist in both directions (Mainland-Hong Kong). It’s really racist to say that only white people can be racist.
“It’s really racist to say that only white people can be racist”. Absolutely true.
Yes. I am a poc and I have been the victim of racism not only by white people but by other poc. Anyone can be racist ! I’m so sick of people saying “oh I’m not white so I can’t be racist”. That’s a bunch of b.s. I’ve had poc say horrible racist slurs to me too. Am I supposed to be ok with that because they aren’t white so yeah go ahead and say nasty things about my ethnicity? Puh lease.
But why are we talking about racism? there’s no racism involved in calling out Iggy Azalea.
There are a lot of white people who rap and they’re not called out. The problem is Iggy being a minimally talented rapper who mimicks black Southern women and gets accolades because of her privilege. She doesn’t recognize this privilege and she deliberately ignores Black issues,more over she has proved many times of lacking racial sensibility (lyrics, old tweets.) Why can’t she even bother to answer to Q-Tip making valid points? But runs to T.I anytime that a rapper names her?
The topic started when someone said “reverse racism” (dumb term) about the criticism of iggy and then a bunch of people said, basically, there’s no such thing as reverse racism or racism against white people.
Tbh, I don’t think Iggy is talented. I think her novelty lies in the fact that she’s a white female rapper. But she isn’t talented.
1. Her lyrics lack depth, creativity, and cleverness. Look at someone like Kendrick Lamar, or Nicki Minaj on Pills n Potions. Iggy’s raps don’t even strive to emulate that.
2. Her rapping voice is not even genuine. It’s a fake accent in which she purposely tries to imitate “black” people to sound more authentic. It sounds ridiculous, especially when you hear her speaking voice.
3. She has a few singles out from her album The New Classic. The highest charting ones are Fancy and Black Widow, which also feature other artists. But her song Beg For It is charting a lot lower, relatively speaking.
I don’t think Iggy shines unless she has another singer to back her up on her tracks, like Rita Ora or Charli XCX.
Compare her to Nicki, who carries the full weight of her song all on her own and still does better.
This is why it’s mind boggling to me that she is put on a pedestal. She is completely manufactured.
Her rapping is SUPPOSED to be pedestrian. She’s a basic talent for a reason, namely that her whole shtick is to be non-threatening and appealing to a mass that would shun other rappers for being ‘racial and political’. To give a lil street cred to some without them having to look too deep into the void.
In that case, I don’t think she deserves any of her awards/nominations. Nicki Minaj has a ton of silly songs with no real message like Anaconda. It isn’t very thought provoking but her lyrics are clever. Like someone put thought into them, even it they are vulgar to some people.
On another note, Macklemore is another popular white rapper who appealed to the masses, but he was still able to be political when he rapped about accepting homosexuals/gay marriage in Same Love. The song was a huge hit.
I agree with all your points. She’s like a really bad SNL sketch. She’s not going to become this generation’s Elvis. If she’s still around five years from now,I’ll be shocked.
I think she’s on Kesha’s level but all the fighting will only boost her profile like kar trashes
This. It’s only the collaborations that made her popular. It would be interesting to see her put out an album with no partnerings. I’m guessing it would flop.
Honestly,why don’t we talk about how Azealia Banks made very valid and interesting points on racial politics in the music industry, cultural appropriation and the Black experience in the US. The fact is that this important conversation on race and music sparked from that interview because it resonated with many people. You don’t have to like Banks to understant that what she’s saying is important.
Instead Iggy responded with a series of tweets mocking Azealias being emotional on race issues and talking about being bullied (??).
It’s not hard to understand that people don’t like Iggy Azalea not because she’s a white girl rapping, but because she’s basically mocking what she thinks being a Black woman is AND she gets awarded for it.
At least Macklemore and Eminem recognize their privilege in Hip-Hop.
Reverse racism: “When the people not in power hurt the racists feelings.”
2014 has been BIG for reverse racism, I’ve never seen so many tears from those in power.
Reverse Racism is the battle cry for people who don’t want to unlearn the white supremacist sentiments that control American culture. It’s for people who think it’s too tough to try to understand racial disparity because it’s uncomfortable.
@G no. Not at all. I’ve been spat on, called a white B and all other manner of things for literally just walking to work, minding my own business. Please do not tell me that I’m simply unwilling to unlearn something. Please. You’d shout it from the rooftops if the races were reversed in my experience (pun intended due to this discussion).
What exactly did she do/say that’s culturally misappropriating? Is it simply because she is a white female rapper with a big butt? Or did I miss something?
There are a lot of good replies to that question above, just scroll back and read.
I think this girl sucks. Plain and simple. That being said, when someone does not like someone simply because of their race, that is racism; regardless of who is doing the hating. Do I believe that white people have power and privilege. Absolutely. Do I think that in this case, the woman in question was being called out more for her behaviour than her skin color, yes. Do I think that she is clueless as to the perception of Black Americans with respect to her behaviour, yes. However, I know Hispanics who don’t like Black Americans. Blacks who don’t like Asians. I know Blacks who don’t like African,-African Americans, and well Whites who don’t like anybody. Anyone who treats someone with disrespect, discourtesy, dishonesty, and violence because of their race or ethnicity and not, as Dr. King said “the content of ones character” is a racist. Plain and simple.
How does any of this pertain to Iggy’s situation? People don’t hate her simply because she is white. They hate her because she is everything Hip-Hop/Rap does not embody. There’s supposed to be a certain grit, a genuineness to Rap music. Iggy has none of this, yet she still wins awards and accolades over more deserving rappers. Why do you think this is? It’s race. Her whiteness gives her a boost. Eminem is white and you don’t hear people complaining about how he’s appropriating black culture. That’s because Eminem is a great MC. He doesn’t put on a fake accent. He doesn’t exaggerate the struggles he’s been through before his fame to earn street cred. Eminem is corny. Here you have Iggy rapping about how she waited tables and scrubbed floors in Miami. Cry me a river.
It doesn’t. It pertains to earlier comments made on this thread about the nature of racism. Hence my comment that this young woman was being called out for being talentless and not for her race; as was suggested incorrectly by some at the beginning go this thread. It’s context.
I remember being truly shocked that she won that award. I never thought of her as a rap or hip hop artist, any more than I would have put her in the heavy metal category, or Classical music category. She’s not hip hop. She’s POP. To me she’s just another manufactured pop tartlet.
And btw, they had her literally singing from her butt on South Park. LOL.
Surely ANYBODY can do ANYTHING they damn well like (obvs within reason, not breaking the law etc.) regardless of their race, gender or nationality. Some commenters on here are so desperate to be politically correct they end up sounding – quite frankly – like idiots. If a white woman cannot make hip-hop music (which, by the way, people clearly enjoy and are buying) because it was founded by blacks, a platform for their voice etc. then what is to stop the reverse? Does that mean somebody black can’t play the harp, because it was historically played by whites? The more you compartmentalise people into pursuits they ‘can’ and ‘cannot’ do, the more you’re encouraging racial segregation! Obviously Iggy had a love and admiration for the hip-hop genre, so much so that she wants to emulate it. I can’t think of anything LESS racist than that!
First of all, everyone on this thread, disagreements aside has managed to interact respectively (i.e. not calling each other idiots and so on). Secondly, in this very thread people have mentioned that Eminem and Macklemore (who are white, just like Iggy) have not had this sort of backlash so maybe you should actually read comments above yours before you start calling people who have managed to put their view across respectfully, idiots.
In Iggy’s case, imitation isn’t flattery or the highest level of compliment.
I really am not worried about Iggy.
I’m concerned about hip-hop.
Hip hop lost its way a long time ago. I remember when stand outs, such as Kendrick Lamar, was the norm…and it wasn’t that long ago!
Most of the current rap out there is crap. If it’s not about being a boss bitch,
making money via the criminal way, sex and misogyny, etc then you’re considered the outcast.
Don’t use the history of hip hop to
justify why people have a problem with Iggy when the current state of hip-hop no longer matches its history.
There are many artists like Nicki…but only one MC Lyte. There are many like Lil Wayne…but only one Big Daddy Kane. Before Em there was the Beastie Boys. Hell Nicki was spilling hotness on a BET cipher then decided to be a hot mess to make coins. Jay was the same way but he not raps like he doesn’t givea crap anymore. People downloading this crap not because of the music but because of the brand…just like people willing to spend money on ugly Jordans because they are Jordans.
What I’m saying is rappers need to clean their own closets before they go into others.
I agree. Umm helloo Soulja Boy anyone? There are plenty of rappers right now who know nothing about the history of Hip Hop. Also, has anyone heard Drake’s speaking voice? It is completely different from his “rapping” voice. He gets a pass because he’s half Black? Don’t get me wrong I love Drake…but let’s look at the bigger picture here. If Iggy was Black but still raised in Australia and rapped in the exact same voice she is now, would people care or be outraged? I doubt it.
If a black rapper was born to a rich family and grew up in an affluent area is he still allowed to rap and use ‘the accent’ even if he hasnt experienced a moment of this negative white privilege effects blah blah…? Is being black the only criterion? Or do you need to have had a tough life and lived in a disadvantaged neighbourhood? The way rappers speak is nearly always an act. If they talk like that in speech it’s a continuation of their persona.
@ Lex
Agreed. There are plenty of rappers who grew up middle-upper class, went to university, are very well spoken and intelligent, but you wouldn’t know it by their lyrics or musical content. Now the only thing that sells is “booty music”. It’s ridiculous. It’s like they are trying to fit into some insane stereotype. It needs to stop. If it’s not ok for Iggy to do it, why do so many other rappers get a pass?
I’m sorry but nothing anyone says can convince me that what Azalea does isn’t racist. When I first heard her music, I was shocked that she was not being called out. She clearly raps with an accent that she doesn’t have. I’m not saying white people can’t have an accent like that… I’m just saying SHE (being of Russian ancestory and having lived in Australia) clearly does not have this accent. She reminds me of that movie “Malibu’s Most Wanted” with Jamie Kennedy. That movie was supposed to be a joke… how is this person being taken seriously?
Think about it… If I started rapping with a Chinese accent, would that not be offensive to Chinese people?
I thought the same thing. Taco Bell shut down the “yo caros taco bell” chijaujau because it was considered “stereotyping” if only the accent and delivery. Beaners (coffee house franchise) changed their name because they didn’t want Hispanic backlash. No more mascots or school names that even remotely reflect a stereotype and yet here comes little white girl with implant booty trying to act gangsta! I’ve been surprised by her all along. It would be different if a foreigner came here to sing and purposely took voice lessons to lose all signs of any accent – to be “generic”, but to take on a specific accent – is wrong and frankly, weird.
So what kind of accent do you think she’s “rapping” in? Don’t say “black”…because that in itself is extremely offensive. There are many white people in the south who speak just like that. I think if you want to make an argument against Iggy, race shouldn’t be a factor. People can touch on the fact that she’s not “authentic” because she’s not using her REAL accent period.
*yawn* Cultural appropriation? Did they say the same about Eminem? Why all the hating?
She’s expressing herself & she’s successful.
Way to go I-G-G-Y!
LOL, some people on this thread definitely lack basic understanding. Never ever it was stated that “white people shouldn’t rap”, it was all in your mind. The issue is clearly more complex and layered than that. Eminem, the Beastie Boys and other white artists are respected in Hip-hop clearly, therefore it’s not a discriminatory issue, calm down. Others before me have explained very well what the problem with Iggy Azalea, her behaviour and the issue of race in the industry is. Now ask yourselves: how is it possibile that a very mediocre pop rap album with very low sales (only two singles were successful) was nominated against excellent albums for Rap Album of the year???
And truth…most of the rappers out there don’t or probably never lived what they rap about. But I have thoughts:
Nicki saids she writes her stuff: ok, thanks for making light of Malcolm X protecting his family with Lookin Ass N
Snoop: you lived that life, you sure? Because you didnt look so hard when you were on trial.
Jay respects women but raps “Eat the cake”…to the woman who performed with Tina Turner.
How many people talk one way at work and differently at home?
Side eye.
That’s a good point
http://necolebitchie.com/2012/03/iggy-azalea-clears-up-runaway-slavemaster-lyric-it-was-a-tacky-and-careless-thing-to-say/
She did clear up or at least apologize for her ONE unfortunate lyric. Otherwise her lyrics don’t promote anything bad to society, while there are many male rappers who rap a little too … something about borderline misogynistic topics; I believe a casual attitude to beating and constant references to rough sex (bend over and take it kind of thing?) may promote a bad attitude in men, starting in their teen years. Entitlement to hot pussy, to dominate a relationship or whatever. I’m not that knowledgable about hip hop /rap but I remember some lyrics that were kind of off by both jay-z and eminem.
Iggy Azalea is literally, a minstrel show and she doesn’t even know what that means. It’s so sad. Bill Mayer said, and I’m paraphrasing, when a Black person with a C average in college, a spotty record of military service, and complete lack of self-awareness becomes president, then we’ll know racism is a thing of the past. Iggy Azalea is a mediocre rapper nominated for a Grammy along with performers, most of them black, who have honed their skills and worked hard to become excellent in their genre. Iggy Azalea did not work on her skills as a lyricist, she did not work on her flow. She worked on mimicing an accent and mannerisms like that of southern, black female rappers, memorized some piss poor lyrics that were written for her (if they weren’t written for her I wouldn’t tell nobody if I were her) and acts this entire mess out for an audience. That is all she’s done, a minstrel show. But she’s nominated for a Grammy. Say we leave race out of this and you answer this question for me. How on earth did that happen? Also please google Jane Elliott: A Class Divided and watch the entire you tube video. It is most enlightening.
I’ll counter with this:
If you took all the media, branding, reading lyrics of a cell phone, social media and just put a mic and have them think off the dome, freestyle…most probably couldn’t do it.
As a Southern Black woman, Iggy doesn’t offend me…90% of the rap artists offend me because most of the rappers today are performing a minstrel show to hip-hop.
Iggy whats-her-name may be a complete idiot – I don’t know. She probably is guilty of cultural appropriation and has made a lot of stupid comments in the past. She possibly bought her ass at the local mall…. whatever.
But do you know what bothers me most? That on a site read by a lot of so-called-feminists, the rampant and gross misogyny in the hip hop world is repeatedly given a pass.
I’m sick to death of Snoop being treated like a loveable, eccentric uncle – not as someone who has repeatedly wished violence and humiliation on women and only backs down when a male ‘protector’ steps in.
Iggy thingybob has constantly been attacked on the basis of her appearance and her sexuality. Eminem even had a charming ditty about raping her, yet I note he is being praised here as being ‘real’ by being aware of his white privilege (but apparently not his male privilege).
Give me an effing break.
The extent to which contemporary hip-hop is about asserting dominance over women and forcing humiliation on them is endlessly documented, yet repeatedly ignored by all the commenters here tripping over themselves to prove their cultural sensitivities. Even in Coolio’s new cookbook, it’s all about how to ‘act like a pimp’ FFS. This ‘bitches and hos’ mentality is so entrenched it’s not even acknowledged anymore.
I’m sick to death of <1% of the black population being heard in the global public discourse: it's all 'ballers and rappers', as Obama said, drowning out all the authors, academics, activists, journalists and scientists I could mention.
Ditto with 'twerking'. Lots of castigation for Miley for appropriating it, but no mention of how it has its roots in Jamaican whining and dance hall culture – which is also rampant with misogyny and homophobia, or how the dance form places the man in the dominant position and the women in an abject position. Or is that 'empowering'?
Sorry to sound like an old fogey, but the politics of this current generation blows my mind. Lots of sloganeering: 'slut shaming' and 'cultural appropriation' and 'checking your privilege', yet very little consistency on sexual and racial politics.
God, I miss the days of Public Enemy. Fight the power.
Money and celebrity and class are always mitigating factors. But it doesn’t mean white privilege isn’t real though and can’t buy me some benefits