Iggy Azalea Talks Rye Rye Collaboration, T.I.'s Lessons & Her 'Taylor Swift Moment'
Iggy Azalea hasn't gotten used to being famous yet. Over the last six months, the Aussie rapper has gone from Internet star to having all of hip-hop's ears turned in her direction. Cutting her teeth in Atlanta before heading to L.A., Azalea , born Amethyst Amelia Kelly, fell in love with rap at age 11, after hearing Tupac's song "Baby Don't Cry." Three years later, she started rapping and moved to the states before she was 21.
Like many up-and-coming rhymers, Azalea started posting her music on YouTube, and amassed a solid fan following. Among the tracks that garnered her the most hits was the sexually explicit, bass heavy track "Pu$$y." Out the gate, Azalea's aggressive flow, with a hint of a southern accent, is the last thing one would expect from a platinum blonde white girl from down under. But maybe that's why she's so appealing. Although hip-hop has no race requirements, there's no denying that the number of successful white rappers are few and far between. In the last year alone, a handful of white female rappers have emerged, namely Kreayshawn, her sidekick V-Nasty, K-Flay and Azalea herself, who are bending rules when it comes to what rappers can both look and sound like.
By the end of 2011, Azalea's digital buzz landed her in the middle of a bidding war between Def Jam and Interscope Records. In the end, the latter label won her over, while T.I. also signed her to his Grand Hustle imprint. Yet being in the bright glare of the media also turned her into a target. After becoming the first woman to adorn XXL's coveted 2012 Freshman Class cover, Azalea was called out by fellow rap newcomer Azealia Banks, who pegged her as a racist. Banks opened the floodgates to a tidal wave of criticism which, at its peak, found Grand Hustle's newest star
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