Iggy Azalea is definitely one of the artists that gets the most heat. Whether it's for her songs, music videos, the question of how she "makes money" or most notably, accusing her of cultural appropriation. It's the last point that she talks about most for her feature with GQ Magazine. “The whole privilege thing is a rough conversation,” she tells the publication.
“I understand that in America there is institutionalized racism and there is privilege that comes with the color of your skin. That's real. I grew up in a situation that didn't involve any privilege and I worked really hard," she explains. "A lot of my childhood is overlooked. People assume they know my life because Australia is a nice beautiful country. It's tough because I want you to acknowledge my work and [to understand] that this wasn't easy but I also don't want to detract from or trivialize any people of colors' position because that's legitimate.”
The 27-year-old, born Amethyst Kelly, explains how she dropped out of school at 16 to be homeschooled after repeated bullying. She began cleaning hotel rooms with her mom having grown up “dirt poor.”
"I don't wanna say that everyone's feelings about racial privilege are invalid ‘cause I was poor. But how do we have a conversation where I'm not discrediting either scenario?"
On the topic of pressing issues in the country she now calls home, Iggy explains how protests such as Black Lives Matter are "one of those damned if you do damned if you don't things."
“I've tried not to be too political because I am an immigrant. I'm on a visa. I'm not trying to go to a protest where they're arresting celebrities and making an example of them because I'll get deported.” she says. “I don't think you'll ever see me at a march. I should show that I support those things but I'm not a political activist. I don't wanna bring the complications of the world into my arena. I understand why people criticize that because I have a voice in hip-hop. I make 'black' music. I don't want people to think it's not something I care about. I want to make music for girls in the gym.”
Read her full interview here.