The Lifestyle RepublicThe Lifestyle Republic
  • The Daily
  • Features
  • Self Essentials
  • Culture
  • About Lifestyle Republic
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Facebook Twitter Instagram
The Lifestyle RepublicThe Lifestyle Republic
  • The Daily
  • Features
  • Culture
  • Self Essentials
     
The Lifestyle RepublicThe Lifestyle Republic

Analyzing the Crossroads of Iggy Azalea

Chuck HollidayBy Chuck HollidayJuly 2015 Commentary
GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND - JUNE 29: Iggy Azalea performs on the Sonic Stage during day 3 of the 2013 Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm on June 29, 2013 in Glastonbury, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

After taking some time off to cancel a tour and clear away some legal issues, rapper Iggy Azalea made her return to the spotlight, performing at the Festival D’ete De Quebec during the weekend of July 11-12.

The performance itself was fine, and went much longer than your average performance in any festival, but everything about it—from the way it was setup without much advertising to the lukewarm fan reaction—simply screamed “afterthought.”

Azalea, who—after rising up the ranks (and charts) as one of the hottest rappers in 2014—saw various mainstream entertainment opportunities present themselves to her, must be wondering where did the crowded bandwagon bus go after her return to the media masses in 2015.

Indeed, after spending most of 2014 being the hip hop world’s most talked about artist, Azalea has seen her once-worldwide appeal plummet in 2015.

ADVERTISEMENT

There are a few reasons for this development.

For one thing, Azalea has shown little interest in various traditional mainstream media opportunities, which, for a rap artist, is a big no-no .

Don’t believe me?

Ask Nicki Minaj, who began distancing herself from traditional mainstream media after announcing she would return to her roots in hip hop’s universe with a focus on street recordings over commercial hits. Or Lauryn Hill, who distanced herself from the mainstream media for personal reasons, only to return with reliability issues. Or Lil’ Kim, who has been difficult to market to any mainstream audience after serving time in a prison for falsifying on oath regarding a shooting at New York Radio Station-turned-Animal House WQHT/Hot 97.

Noticing a trend here?

A reason is probably Azalea’s bland, babyfaced personality. Unlike fellow artists Nicki Minaj or even newcomer Dej Loaf, both of whom have shown a tremendous amount of personality and charisma in interview and other media appearances, Azalea’s personality remains as dull and uninteresting as ever.

There’s not terribly much you can do with her. All she does is smile and wave.

Of course not all the blame lies with Azalea. It seems like every women’s rapper, except Nicki of course, has been largely ignored outside of music festival performances. With this in mind, it’s not terribly surprising how far Azalea has fallen in prominence.

It was hoped that when the digital era in music would become the main source of discovery for fans, women’s hip hop would gain as the biggest benefactor. The recent emergence of skilled all-world emcee Sicnis was also seen as an encouraging sign that things were going to turn around for women’s hip hop in general.

While, as noted, Azalea / Nicki have been given a decent amount of attention time not only within hip hop but all of mainstream music, there are no real indications that the music business is ready to embrace a return to the 90’s with a high volume variety of female hip hop artists. The recent purge during the mid-2000’s of talented artists such as Eve, Charli Baltimore, and Rasheeda serve to emphasize this point.

Oh, sure, maybe every 2 years there will be some indie artist who releases a freestyle or cover song and gets everyone’s hopes up again (Kilo Kish anyone?), but it will almost certainly never come to anything. Women’s hip hop has been marginalized for so long, we now have a very good idea of where it lies with not only the consumer, but media executives who continue the notion that one-two female rappers is more than enough.

At one point in 2014, the rising Azalea looked to be the next big female name in hip hop, a supremely talented model-turned-rapper in the mold of T.I. and other artists emerging from the Southeast region (see this post from just less than a year prior to this piece that touches on it). But for a combination of reasons—some her own flaws, some the fault of the team behind her—it hasn’t happened.

That’s not to say Azalea will never be able to do anything of note for the rest of her run, but as for becoming the No.1 female rapper in the business again? Not a lock but anything’s possible.

 

Join The Lifestyle Republic Newsletter

Get the latest news from TLSR straight into your inbox.

   
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Email

More from Lifestyle Republic

ZOEY ZO PERFECTING HER ART ON THE STAGE

HELPING OTHERS REINVENT THEMSELVES WITH LIFE COACH MARÍA TOMÁS-KEEGAN

Delphine Arnault appointed by father Bernard Arnault to run Dior

DJ DIEZEL IS DRILLING HIS WAY INTO THE SPOTLIGHT ONE BEAT AT A TIME

Estee Lauder acquires Tom Ford for $2.8 billion

Luna Bijl poses for the Dundas x REVOLVE Pre-Fall 2022 Campaign

Currenty Trending

HELPING OTHERS REINVENT THEMSELVES WITH LIFE COACH MARÍA TOMÁS-KEEGAN

ZOEY ZO PERFECTING HER ART ON THE STAGE

THE PIT BULL OF BOXING FABIANO PENA PACKING A CHAMPIONSHIP PUNCH

DJ DIEZEL IS DRILLING HIS WAY INTO THE SPOTLIGHT ONE BEAT AT A TIME

CELEBRITY BOXING FOUNDER DAMON FELDMAN KEEPS POUNDING AWAY

Features

ZOEY ZO PERFECTING HER ART ON THE STAGE

THE PIT BULL OF BOXING FABIANO PENA PACKING A CHAMPIONSHIP PUNCH

DJ DIEZEL IS DRILLING HIS WAY INTO THE SPOTLIGHT ONE BEAT AT A TIME

The Date Sheet: Exes + Owes
  • In Public (Nah, Right?)
    Published on 2022-07-07
  • No Scrubs
    Published on 2022-06-16
  • You're Makin' Me...Low
    Published on 2022-05-12
  • Love is All We Need
    Published on 2022-04-14
  • Lowered Expections (First Dates)
    Published on 2022-04-01

Join the Newsletter

Get the latest news from TLSR.


   
About Lifestyle Republic  •  Contact Us  •  Privacy Policy  •  Corporate Website
© 2023 Lifestyle Republic, a unit of Suite929 LLC

OUR PUBLISHING NETWORK:
Suite929tv   •   Firm Biz   •   Tech We Like   •   G Style Magazine   •   THIRTYLIST   •   The 9ine Podcast Network

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...