Source: Craig Sjodin / Getty
Iggy Azalea recently released a new single and it has jumpstarted conversations about her appropriating Black culture again. After releasing the video for her latest track, “I Am the Strip Club,” she was accused of Blackfishing, defined as “white girls cosplaying as Black women” by journalist Wanna Thompson.
The Australian rapper responded to the accusations via Twitter and slammed claims that she wanted to resemble a Black woman. She said the lighting of the scenes was the culprit.
“I’m the same color as I always am, just in a dimly lit room with red lights,” Azalea tweeted. “It’s the same makeup from every other part of the video just with a Smokey eye and different wig. Just ignore them, who cares? Let em talk.”
Azalea expressed more frustration about these accusations and said she feels it stems from her wearing a black hair-colored wig instead of her appearing darker than usual.
“I can’t care about something that ridiculous and baseless,” she posted. “I’m wearing a shade 6 in armarni foundation, it’s the same shade I’ve worn for the last 3 years. It’s the same shade in every music video since sally Walker. Suddenly I wear a black wig in a club scene & its an issue.”
She added, “This is the color I wear, it’s on the arm color of a tan white person. I’m not wearing crazy dark makeup at ALL. Everyone in the club scene looks darker, it’s a club scene! I’m sick of ppl trying to twist my words or make s*** a problem when all I’ve done is try a hair color.”
This isn’t the first time the “Fancy” rapper has been accused of appropriating Black culture. After her career took off in 2013, she was accused of mimicking a southern accent in her raps which led to many rappers speaking out about her career in disappointment. In a 2019 interview with Cosmopolitan, Azalea said despite the massive criticism, she isn’t apologetic about the type of music she makes.
“I’m still going to make the same type of music and still be ridiculous and larger than life,” she said. “So I can’t be that f******* sorry about it.”
Take a look at the music video below to see for yourself.
