In My Defense

After the massive 2014 hit “Fancy” and corresponding Def Jam debut The New Classic put this Australian expat on, tabloid drama and online controversy soon followed, portraying her as a #problematic hip-hop interloper. Now fully independent, Iggy Azalea fires back at her haters and naysayers with ferocity and fervor on this long-delayed sophomore album. From the jump, “Thanks I Get” goes right for the jugular, targeting the imitators who’ve risen in her wake with lines like “I’m the one that fixed your plate, I’m the one that gave you a meal.” Over an ominous music-box beat, “Clap Back” proffers a succinct if severe response to much of the criticism she’s encountered with bars such as “They call me racist/Only thing I like is green and blue faces.” When not savaging those who prayed for her downfall, she’s back in the full-throated sex-positive mode that made her one to watch in the first place, joined in this freaky endeavor by Juicy J and Kash Doll. All in all, Iggy’s done with trying to satisfy the masses, releasing this raw about-face that aims to change mainstream perceptions of her.