Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Iggy Just Doesn't Get It

    


In the last article, I reviewed statements Azealia Banks about Iggy and cultural appropriations in relation to hip-hop. She explained how she felt there is cultural smudging in hip-hop and her evidence is the success of Iggy Azealia and other white artist whose talents obviously are not up to par as other black hip hop artists.
     
      Iggy responded to Bank's Hot 97 Interview with a chain of tweets:









Smh. Iggy just doesn't seem to get it; she completely missed the point Banks was trying to make. She wasn't complaining about her not being successful, which true hip hop fans know she is already becoming successful. She was pointing out the fact that the praise, awards and nominees given to SOME white artists are not as deserving as their competition, which ultimately offends black culture.

What Iggy also doesn't seem to understand is that the issue was never specifically her, it was with XXL magazine. In 2012 Iggy won the title of XXL freshman amongst other artists becoming the first female rapper ever to be featured on the cover of XXL. It wasn't a problem that Iggy made it up there it was the fact that the only rappers XXL chose to nominate were white female artists. Yes Iggy was voted by "the people" but she won by default. The lack of understanding is why the beef between Iggy and Banks continue.

Azealia Banks is frustrated, Being born into this world she had two immediate problems: being black and being a female. The world is a more intimidating place. She comes off as this girl with a poor attitude and talking trash to anyone she see, but it isn't trash talking she is doing. It is the talk of a fed up black girl. She stated in the Hot 97 interview that hip-hop is her identity. Black people have been stripped of their identity since slavery days and for her to feel as if she the identity that hip-hop once gave her people is being downplayed by a white woman, it hurts. It hurts badly.

However hip-hop isn't being downplayed by just white Australian women, it is being downplayed by other African Americans. Artists like Chief Keef and Souljia Boy have taken a toll on what hip-hop really is. There are people who feel upset about this but wasn't an outcry like there is with Iggy. Why not? I have 3 sisters. One of them is always picking on the other, I tend to stay out of it. But as soon as I see someone outside of the family picking on one of them I interfere. I believe it is the same with hip hop. People are more likely to defend when it is coming from "outsiders". (I use that term lightly)
Yet, it still doesn't make it right. Just like Iggy received some heat, black artists who are receiving way more credit and attention than people who truly deserve it should be called out as well.

In saying that, stop by next Wednesday to read an article about the overall downplaying of hip-hop and why it is happening.






   
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Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Is There A "Culture-Smudging" In Hip-Hop??


The tension between Iggy Azealia and Azealia Banks may have died down, but the controversial statements Banks made back in December on Hot 97, are still causing people to think. Azealia Banks and Iggy have a history of beefing with each other, dating all the way back to 2012. A history of the beef can be found here. 

The latest feud stems from the emotional interview Banks gave on Hot 97. Banks stated:

Here’s the thing with Iggy Azalea. I feel, just in this country, whenever it comes to our things, like Black issues, or Black politics, or Black music or whatever there’s always this under current of a ‘Fuck you.’ Like ‘Fuck y’all niggas. Y’all don’t really own shit. Y’all don’t have shit.’ That Macklemore album wasn’t better than the Drake record. That Iggy Azalea shit is not better than any fucking Black girl that’s rapping today. And when they give those awards out–cuz the Grammys are supposed to be like accolades for artistic excellency. Iggy Azalea is not excellent. And the message I see when I see these Grammys being given out…I have a problem when you’re trying to say that it’s Hip Hop and you’re trying to put it up against Black culture.  

Even Nicki Minaj over the past 2,3,4 years has done so much to kind of create this social presence and this hold –like this social consciousness so she’s like “Re Up” and “Roman Reloaded” and here you got fucking Iggy like “Reclassified.” Like you’re trying to smudge out…it’s like a cultural smudging is what I see. And when they give these Grammys out all it says to White kids is ‘You’re great, you’re amazing, you can do whatever you put your mind to.’ And it says to Black kids, ‘You don’t have shit, you don’t own shit, not even the shit you created for yourself.’ And it makes me upset in that way. 

If you watch the video you can see and feel the emotion that she put into those words Azealia has been known for her lashing out and twitter beefs. But this time you saw a deeper side of Azealia. As she explained in her interview, with all the issues such as the Mark Garner and Michael Brown case, this is the type of conversations that need to be taking place, not heavily discussing accusations placed on Bill Cosby.

Banks statement are not new. However she has been one of the brave few people to actually publically speak on it. A lot of artists are afraid to speak on the subject out of fear of seeming racist or prejudice. Or out of fear of losing their biggest consumers, white youth. Azealia Banks is not being racist nor prejudice. She is merely being unapologetic.

In the next article, which will detail Iggy Azeala response to Banks outlash, I will further explain why the statements she made are relevant and important to hip hop culture.
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