Controversial rappers like Public Enemy, Eazy-E, Lil Kim, Tupac, Biggie and more had to roll with the effects of extroverted opinions on things like social injustice, sex and street violence. Back then, artists had to mostly rely on their music to spread awareness of the ideologies they believed in. Today stars can get away with telling it like it is, but oftentimes it has to be confined to 140 characters. Messages can get skewed and misinterpreted which can create drama. If you ask rapper Iggy Azalea, she’s all too familiar with the pitfalls of social media.
The Australian rapper once known for her affiliation with T.I. has ruffled more than a few feathers in the past. Being white and female, entering the rap game has been a catch 22. The star recently revealed she had a psychotic breakdown last year because of the media’s “negative portrayal of her.” “I felt tired and stressed out,” said the rapper. Azalea has not been on the music scene much for the ending of 2015 and early 2016, after canceling her anticipated Great Escape tour.
Before Azealia Banks opted out of being an active member of Twitter, she had a lot to say about fellow rapper Azalea. Her infamous Hot 97 interview shed light on colorism practices in entertainment. She highlighted Iggy as an example of her claims. Once the interview aired and following a succession of similar events, music critics decided to take a closer look at Azalea. Hundreds of memes later, Azalea slowly started to become a synonym for rap music losing its talent and identity. While not all agreed, the effects of Banks’ claims definitely hurt the Aussie rapper’s brand.
Not letting the negatives get her down, Iggy has new music and new hope in 2016. The singer has a new interview with Schön! Magazine where she talks about her mental health and more. The rapper just dropped a new single today [Friday, March 18] called “Team.” Will Azalea be able to save face this year? See what she has to say here in her exclusive interview with Schön!.
