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Iggy Azalea — you probably know her as the white-girl rapper from Australia who writes rhymes about sex, drugs, and violence.
But you really shouldn’t judge a woman by her viral video. In reality, everyone is more complex than some public persona. And Azalea is an intelligent, thoughtful, and well-spoken individual who just happens to make a living rapping about her “Pu$$y.”
So here are five semisecret facts about the Aussie spitter. That way, when she makes you taste her Skittles at Grand Central’s Sneaker Pimps party this Friday, you will at least know where they’ve been.
She named herself after the family dog. For real, no parents would name their baby Iggy Azalea. (But they would name the kid Amethyst Amelia Kelly.) So this particular lady MC adopted her moniker in honor of a beloved childhood pet, who was kind of a badass. “He would bite people, have fights with other dogs,” she told Global Grind. “We had to get him put down when I was 18 because his legs stopped working, but this motherfucker would not let go. He was the coolest.”
She had a crazy obsession with Tupac. All avid music fans growing up have an almost unhealthy fixation on their favorite star. And for Iggy, it was Tupac. “I was sickly obsessed. I had every picture of Tupac ever on my wall.” She became infatuated with rap music at age 11 after hearing Pac’s track “Baby Don’t Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II).” By 14, she was spitting her own rhymes.
She moved to America on her own as a minor. Iggy was always extremely dedicated to her rap career. She took it so seriously, in fact, that she dropped out of high school in 2006, just before turning 16, and moved to America without her parents. And where did the little immigrant set up camp? Miami, duh. Originally, she was supposed to be here only on vacation. But once she came to understand the awesomeness of the 305, the teen traveler called her parents to say: I ain’t coming back.
She made money with gift-card scams. Now, how does a 16-year-old Aussie import with a big dream survive in Vice City? Well, she went around, cleaning houses. But in a video interview with KarmaloopTV, Azalea admitted to supplementing her income in shadier ways. “It’s so bad to talk about,” she says shyly. “We used to go to Macy’s and get gift cards and then sell them to people.” Whatever, Iggy, we understand. You’ve got to hustle, and the streets are an unforgiving place. It’s OK to admit to your sketchy past. Only God can judge you.
She’s actually quite intelligent and thoughtful, and “Pu$$y” is more of a feminist message than a gimmick. So you might’ve seen Iggy’s “Pu$$y” video. Maybe you thought it was trashy or vulgar or gross. But you’re not giving the girl enough credit. She doesn’t do things just to do them. She’s seizing control of her own body, dammit. “I think females are scared to be sexual because they feel like they’re not going to be respected and it’s demeaning for them,” she explained in an interview with GoodFellaRadio. “But I think that if you own it, it’s power for you. So I’m not scared to be sexual, be a woman.” See? Taking back vaginas for all the ladies, one viral vid at a time.
