My thoughts on Iggy Azalea, an Australian rapper who recently started dabbing in EDM
A recent Chicago Reader article brought Australian-born rapper Iggy Azalea to my attention. According to the Reader, she recently adjusted her style from rap to the rap/EDM hybrid. I'm not really a fan of a pop-dance blend known as EDM (mostly because it feels like trance watered down to pop sensibilities), but curious enough to follow the Youtube links and check out some of Azalea's music.
"Fancy" is supposed to be her biggest hit and... I listened to it a few times and I'm not feeling it. Reminds me a bit too much of Gwen Stefani's "Hollback Girl." Honestly, I think I would've liked it a lot more if I was a teenage girl. A popular teenage girl.
Now, "Bounce," on the other hand.
Let's be honest - it's a party girl anthem. Sort of like something Ke$ha would write earlier in her career, except Azalea is a better singer. And rapper. The video has absolutely nothing to do with the song (where did they get an Indian theme out of what was, again, a very Western party anthem). And yet... The song is catchy. So goddamn catchy.
Now, let's see about "Work"
At first, I thought it was going to be "I came up from nothing and now I have all this awesome stuff" song seemingly every modern, successful rapper is required to make. But as I kept listening, I realized it wasn't quite it. It was more of "this is what I had to do to get to this point, and it sucked, a lot." Which isn't exactly new ground, but it's compelling material, and I think Azalea makes it work (for the most part - the hook seems like it was built for catchiness in a way that doesn't quite work with the rest of the song)
I'm still not sure if Azalea's music is entirely my thing. But I will keep in eye out for her, see what she comes out with next.
Click to view"Fancy" is supposed to be her biggest hit and... I listened to it a few times and I'm not feeling it. Reminds me a bit too much of Gwen Stefani's "Hollback Girl." Honestly, I think I would've liked it a lot more if I was a teenage girl. A popular teenage girl.
Now, "Bounce," on the other hand.
Let's be honest - it's a party girl anthem. Sort of like something Ke$ha would write earlier in her career, except Azalea is a better singer. And rapper. The video has absolutely nothing to do with the song (where did they get an Indian theme out of what was, again, a very Western party anthem). And yet... The song is catchy. So goddamn catchy.
Now, let's see about "Work"
At first, I thought it was going to be "I came up from nothing and now I have all this awesome stuff" song seemingly every modern, successful rapper is required to make. But as I kept listening, I realized it wasn't quite it. It was more of "this is what I had to do to get to this point, and it sucked, a lot." Which isn't exactly new ground, but it's compelling material, and I think Azalea makes it work (for the most part - the hook seems like it was built for catchiness in a way that doesn't quite work with the rest of the song)
I'm still not sure if Azalea's music is entirely my thing. But I will keep in eye out for her, see what she comes out with next.