Iggy potentially the first real superstar female rapper
Azalea has the potential to be the world’s first real superstar female rapper, eclipsing the claims of more obviously accomplished talents like Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliot and Nicki Minaj.
She has put some effort into overcoming the flatness of so much live hip hop, with stairs and screens, posing dancers and backing singers, blasts of confetti and bubbles all adding visual and sonic elements to what is essentially just a DJ playing pre-recorded tracks whilst someone talks fast over the top.
The strip club ambience may pander to a notoriously sexist genre but Azalea’s sudden elevation after years of struggle has been on the back of some monster hit singles, and they get a suitably boisterous reception from a young and predominantly female crowd. A singalong usually represents the most communal and heart stirring moment of any live performance but a rap-along has a power of its own, as the self-assertive lyrics to Fancy are shouted out by 2000 people in unison. This was a genuinely entertaining evening of Iggy pop, with a sprinkling of Iggy stardust. Ms Azalea’s ascent to superstardom seems assured.