Iggy Azalea – ‘Glory’ EP Review

Finally, a chance to talk about Iggy Azalea! Because I needed one, I think. Anyway, the Australian born rapstress came on my radar after viewing a rather stunning freestyle on Youtube. It was rife with wordplay, flowed like a buzzsaw, pocked with aggression, and delved into raunchy fare with the “come hither” draw that only a woman can suffice.

And, sadly, it turned out to be a one-of-a-kind affair, as if simply existing by the eternal whimsy of chance. Azalea’s subsequent work, most notably the singles “Pu$$Y,” “My World” and her flagship mixtape “Ignorant Art,” have basically stayed within the modern swag-jam realm: huge, booming beats, repepetitive hooks, and the poetic depth of a jello cup. But hey, at least case she’s rather clear of her aspirations in the rap game (after all, a song labeled “Pu$$y” would rarely discuss the 41-month civil war currently tearing Syria apart.)

Now that’s she signed to T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records, who will also executive produce her debut album, Azalea aims to tide her “Azaleans” (first juggalos and now this? Sheesh.) over with Glory, a six-song EP which does exactly that and nothing more.

The main reason for the project’s success (or from my perspective, stagnation) is the vanilla-safe approaches it takes with southern hip hop. Get hype-ass beats with thunderous three-tone low end, a hook with the usual anthemic singing interpolated into a stuttering monotone of the track’s name, include things like “racks” or recent quips like “I’m ridin’ round and I’m getting it” at the end of a couple verses, have one song strickly reserved for late-night boot-knocking and VOILA! Hopefully one of these by-the-number bangers may be blessed with a couple Flex bombs in the near future.

I don’t want to seem dismissive of the project, but it is what it is. If anything, B.O.B. And T.I. provide solid, twangy speedverses, and the track including T.I., “Murda Bizness,” gets props solely on the warped bassline and huffing percussion. This track bumps like a bitch.

And how is Iggy Azalea herself? She’s thoroughly OK. From what I can tell, she’s one of the few somewhat popular females who strictly raps, and the fact that she can get through a song without screaming at me or singing with a poor register gets bonus points. All in all, she easily fits into the current pastiche of immediately rich rhymesayers striving to churn out that one-hit-wonder.

Her accent does have questionable merit; it sounds like an Australian trained to affect an “urban” accent, which seems to be the situation entirely. Maybe if she slipped in a few Aussie slang words every once in a while, that would add a little more flavor to the pop MSG already found from the other million rappers.

If anyone wanted a chance to hear this chick rap, there will be no better opportunity than Glory.