Why Iggy Azalea’s Privilege To Be “Black” Needs To Be Permanently Revoked
By: Ezinne Ukoha
Tags: Music, Culture, Race, Black Women, White Privilege

Why Iggy Azalea’s Privilege To Be “Black” Needs To Be Permanently Revoked

She’s too White

The last thing I want to do is take the time to once again express how much I resent the very notion of Iggy Azalea and all that she represents — but in this current climate of racial strife — it’s almost impossible to ignore the opportunity to examine the varied ways in which White people choose to downplay their privilege — at the expense of the very people they’ve chosen to appropriate.

I have unfavorably covered Amethyst Kelly in the past and most of my “haterade” is concocted from my unwavering loyalty to another rapper of African-American descent who is talented AF — but still hasn’t been anointed by her peers with the authority that would allow her to dominate and conquer the landscape of her discontent.

Azealia Banks is the controversial darling that people love to hate and with good reason. Her “attitude” has allowed her to retain her position as one of the most formidable in the realm of the “angry Black woman” — who lashes out at innocent parties who’ve done nothing to warrant those random attacks.

Black male producers who help foster talent in an industry that demands a certain aesthetic for female rappers who are always ready to do whatever it takes for stardom — have pretty much demonstrated their utter disdain for Banks — as she terrorizes their crippling bias against her — which is fueled by a rebelliousness that is typically associated with Black women who refuse to take any type of shit.

Azealia Banks and Iggy Azalea have had online altercations that were initiated by Banks who has every right to be incensed at the existence of a White rapper and rival — who adopted a shiny new moniker that not only hits too close to home — but is also supposed to support the surgically-enhanced physique — that serves as the weapon of dominion.

She woke up like this

It’s worth noting that Iggy has been brought to task by the likes of Talib Kweli — who used his Twitter account back in 2016 — to school the Australian-born former White girl about how she’s outrightly “disrespected hip hop culture too many times.”

Kweli’s blunt response references the potent lyrics of Mackelmore’s White Privilege II — where the Seattle bred Grammy-winning rapper called out his White counterparts for shamelessly benefitting from a culture that requires a thorough recognition and healthy respect for the responsibility that comes with such freedom.

“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/ You’re Miley, you’re Elvis, you’re Iggy Azalea.”

Iggy didn’t take kindly to being publicly called out and expectedly went on the defensive — which prompted Kweli’s urgent need to remind her about the success she’s garnered — based on her determination to play the game that she’s not even qualified to participate in — based on her inability to recognize how her Whiteness has endorsed her seamless entry and ultimate acceptance.

It’s the main reason why despite not being nearly as talented as off-again/on-again arch-nemesis — Azealia Banks — she’s managed to sustain a somewhat high-profile status with the initial assistance from prolific hitmakers like Atlanta-based rapper T.I. — who invested his efforts to help the White girl from abroad to transform into a factory-made replica of the real thing.

After a nearly four-year hiatus — Iggy is back in the spotlight with an upcoming LP that will soon makes its long-awaited debut — and as she begins her promotional tour — it’s quite evident that her attitude towards her critics hasn’t changed — nor has she gotten the memo that clearly outlines the reasons why fellow artists like Halsey have nothing nice to say when her name comes up.

“She had a complete disregard for black culture. Fucking moron. I watched her career dissolve and it fascinated me.”

After reading the latest installment in GQ magazine — I have to totally agree about Iggy’s tendency to be “a fucking moron” with “a complete disregard for Black culture” — based on the answers provided and how they prove why her Black privilege needs to be revoked.

This could’ve been the golden opportunity to positively re-shape the narrative that has constantly hovered around her relentless quest to play the victim against the backdrop of her own creation. But — she’s sticking to the destructive script that details her humble background — her enviable work ethic — and the cautionary measures she relies on when it comes to remaining inactive on behalf of Black Lives Matter.

“I think it’s 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.”

This is Iggy’s copout as a rap star who submitted to drastic measures to ensure that her template was re-packaged to convey the attributes of a Black woman who has the extra ammunition of Whiteness to finesse and perfect the finished look.

Like her other clueless counterparts — who are currently basking in the glow of swollen body parts that are carved in and out to weaponize the sincerity of Black womanhood — Iggy is content playing the role of keen observer while gyrating her high-priced bod to the verses and beats that she stole with unapologetic gracelessness.

When the interviewer reminds the Fancy singer that she’s about to collect her Green card — which finally grants her permission to be as politically active as she pleases — Iggy stubbornly retained her frustratingly rigid stance with the unyielding assurance that she intends to remain selfishly absent from the dire issues that plague the very community she owes her life to.

“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.”

The thing is that not only does Iggy Azalea “make black music” — but she also altered her appearance to reflect her strict adherence to being as authentically-inclined as possible — in order to appeal to a population that has been trained to view and receive female rappers under the misogynistic gaze.

This brutal process of elimination turned the hottest chick in the game — Lil’ Kim — into a ghost of her former self — as she admitted how her “regular black girl” template threatened her ability to soar without interference. She couldn’t be a Black woman with Black features if she wanted to stay on top — so she became a caricature — in an effort to secure her already flawless legacy.

This is why it’s abhorrently offensive to witness White women with calculated agendas — feeding themselves the gems of Black culture with the energetic thrusts of notable Black men — who are only too eager and ready to discard their own for an updated model — for the added boost of societal validation.

Iggy’s “Black privilege” needs to be rescinded because she apparently has no problem claiming her “blackness” for the sole purpose of fame and fortune — even down to the generic activity of dating Black ballers and rappers who gratifyingly treat her like shit — but seems to have a challenging time “bringing the complications of the world into her arena.”

Nobody is allowed to eat their cake and have it too — and Ms. Kelly shouldn’t be the exception to that rule based on how expertly she re-invented her persona as the “White girl with the exotic features that make her look like the doper version of a Black girl.”

When you have “regular Black chicks” like Azealia Banks — embroiled in never-ending conflicts that are aimed to demean and mock — because of the mob mentality that has zero patience for dark-skinned girls with big mouths and surprisingly vulnerable temperaments — it’s incredibly hard to give White girls with injected lips and butts a pass for “making black music” and graduating into “phenoms” — with the ticket of White privilege.

In many ways — Iggy Azalea is too White for her own good — and her enhanced body parts can’t rectify that glaring malfunction.

Her acute transparency is pathetic when you consider that she obviously did an exhaustive study on what it entails to be “Black in America” and her findings led her to polish her skills accordingly and birth her lofty ambitions. She plotted her takeover without missing a beat —and if her objectives were pure and sincere — that wouldn’t be a strike against her.

But — she’s self-absorbed in her pursuits and feigns the reluctance to “risk it all” for political reasons as a way to relieve herself of the responsibilities that come with being regarded as a a “woke” artist — who is tasked with navigating the terrain of both fame and activism.

She’s only able to be “Black” in the studio and in the provocative music videos that celebrate her “blackness” without asking for anything in return. But — when faced with the insurmountable burden that her counterparts — who can’t readily shed their skin hue to match their interchangeable dispositions — are forced to carry on behalf of life and death — she reverts to her Whiteness as the shield of choice.

It may seem aimless to devote so much energy to an artist that I evidently don’t admire — but this exercise in judgment is necessary to illustrate the way White people display their privilege under the cloak of being modestly unaware of their misguided actions.

Iggy Azalea continues to flourish as a White rapper who doesn’t want to complicate her life with the complications that come with being Black in a country that she invaded with the armor of a privilege that she earned with coins — instead of the dutiful loyalty of a welcomed ally.

It would be refreshing and even inspiring if she could finally take ownership of her thieving ways — but that’s never going to happen.

She’s too damn White for that shit.