Iggy Azalea furiously hits back at accusations of blackfishing in I Am The Stripclub video
Singing in a ‘blaccent’
The singer previously had to address criticism after being accused of not using her Australian twang and instead rapping in a pitch and tone akin to an African American urban accent.
Iggy said in 2014 it was a conscious decision of hers to ‘sound’ Black in her music, as opposed to rapping in her Australian accent and questioned ‘why is it such a big deal?’.
She told Complex at the time: ‘I couldn’t talk in an American accent—I could, but it would sound very fake—but I can rap in one with no problem.
‘If you’re mad about it and you’re a Black person then start a rap career and give it a go, too.
‘Or maybe if you’re Black, start singing like a country singer and be a white person. I don’t know. Why is it such a big deal?’
Past racist and homophobic tweets
In 2015, Iggy came under fire for past homophobic and racist tweets she posted prior to her rise to fame.
They included ‘When guys whisper in eachothers ears I always think that’s kinda homo’; ‘Is it wrong Im happy to hear southern accents again and not mexican ones? F**k it. I am’; ‘just saw 5 black men get arrested out the front of popeyes #damn #stereotypes’; and ‘b**ches in LA be stick skinny. To the bone. White, black, mexican… okay so maybe not mexican.’
She also tweeted about playing soccer with ‘d*ke b**ches’, as well as making comments about Asian people pretending they don’t understand English.
At the time, the rapper apologised for the remarks, writing: ‘Unfortunately in the past as a young person, I used words I should not have.
‘The last thing I want is for something so carelessly said to be interpreted as reflective of my character. I meant no harm and deeply regret ever uttering those words.
‘As an adult I would never use them because I understand they play a detrimental role in the fight for issues that I do truly believe in.’
Controversial lyric changes
In 2012, the songstress caused controversy for her song D.R.U.G.S, a remix of Kendrick Lamar’s Look Out for Detox.
Iggy adapted one of the songs lyrics to “When the relay starts, I’m a runaway slave / Master”.
After facing a mountain of backlash from her listeners, the star released a letter months later apologising and stated it was a ‘tacky and careless’ thing to say.
In a written statement, Iggy wrote: ‘Sometimes we get so caught up in our art and creating or trying to push boundaries, we don’t stop to think how others may be hurt by it.
‘In this situation, I am guilty of doing that and I regret not thinking things through more.’
Accusations of cultural appropriation
Iggy’s 2019 album In My Defence was savaged by music critics, who called it ‘unoriginal’ and accused her of cultural appropriation.
In 2014, American Hip Hop artist Azealia Banks accused the Voice judge, who raps in an American accent despite her natural Aussie twang, of appropriating black culture.
‘Its funny to see people Like Igloo Australia silent when these things happen… Black Culture is cool, but black issues sure aren’t huh?’ Azealia wrote.
In 2016 Macklemore, otherwise known as Ben Haggerty, released the song ‘White Privilege II’ in which he dissed Iggy and Miley Cyrus for appropriating black culture.
The lyrics are: ‘You’ve exploited and stolen the music, the moment. The magic, the passion, the fashion, you toy with, The culture was never yours to make better.’
He added: ‘You’ve taken the drums and the accent you rapped in. You’re branded “hip-hop,” it’s so fascist and backwards.’