A Would Be Viral Video: Iggy Azalea's Failed Attempt to Realize her Vision

Take your favorite rapper. Refrain from adding a skin color and gender. Only consider the talent and ability. Now, think about Australian rapper Amethyst Amelia “Iggy Azalea” Kelly. Her status as a genre thief of hip hop cannot protect her against her own label denying allegedly the video for her single, “Azillion.” She certainly received her wake up call in the white world. Just because she’s a half a cute Caucasian with a penchant for stealing from the Black genre of rap doesn’t mean that she is safe from being shut down by corporate forces. In an age of guerilla filmmaking, crowdfunding, and utilizing YouTube to ensure that your vision is broadcasted, there is no excuse for Kelly to pout about her label owner supposedly rejecting her. Why doesn’t she just find Kid Art to shoot a video for her? What is stopping Kelly from employing the efforts of Rik Cordero? Miss Kelly must feel too privileged to even entertain the thought of having an independent video shoot.

She alluded to the idea of filming the video herself...jokingly. Instead of assuming the responsibility of being her own boss while not biting the hand that feeds her (Virgin/EMI president Tom Cockle), Kelly has set herself back. Her fanatics may scream her name at her next concert, but will they respect her decisions in the end? For most rap and hip hop lovers, the poor business choices may be swept under the rug to favor the latest collection of songs or touring schedule that artist brings to the fore. With artists like Kelly, the 15 minutes is coming down to the last few seconds now. Her mediocre writing ability and contrived style only worsen with every day. Miss Kelly ought to look into other profitable ventures other than being a rap singer. Her capabilities in the realm of finance ought to supply her with a rather cushy position as being, ironically, the senior vice president of Virgin EMI records. She could pick up a paintbrush and illustrate the Sydney Opera house in her homeland of Australia. Whatever she may choose to pursue, let’s hope that she has a goal and the tenacity to see it through. But until then, her rapping acumen needs a definite boost. This genre robber ought to hang it up because she’s done.

And few things are better than white on white hip hop hate. Rapper and fellow genre stealer Ben “Macklemore” Haggerty has blasted Kelly for being “plastic.” Imagine: two of hip hop’s top names at odd with each other over perceived fakeness. Go figure. The shelf life of today’s rapper is quite short and for these two performers to still be in the game after more than three years is actually impressive. But their whiteness has allowed them to accelerate past acts of darker shades. This spat over how much each rapper can take from the genre signals the dying days of a style of music. And isn’t that the pot calling the kettle white? With all of the guff being spouted by hip hop artists, Miss Kelly’s and Mr. Haggerty’s feud takes completely the most profound turn. The two of them represent the genre burglars who have generated funds all at the expense of downgrading rap. Already a musical style which has stirred up enough controversy, disdain, and derision, hip hop now must see two whites argue over authenticity.

From the perspective of an outsider, the levels of hatred directed at Miss Kelly would prompt one to view her as a victim caught in the flux of a genre who accepts few and respects even fewer. Miss Kelly puts herself out there as a dizzy, ditzy, dumb chick with marginal lyrical ability. Her course on this road of misfits, liars, snakes, and unsavory figures reveals itself to be at least unusual. In a realm hostile to young white females rocking the microphone, she has a modicum of success, commercially and critically. But what separates Miss Kelly from other white female rappers is her appeal to the Internet age. Her singles have launched her in the atmosphere on pop radio and allowed her to receive respectable sales. This doesn’t mean that she should just remain complacent and rest on whatever laurels she has earned. If her label decides to corral her and keep her from shooting videos, she ought to embrace the Web and go independent. In an era of techies and hungry video production staffers, Miss Kelly ought to seek out these individuals and create the video that she always wanted. The alleged beef between Miss Kelly and Mr. Haggerty should drive her to complete whatever project she wants. The attention alone should provide that.