Iggy Azalea Twitter: Why The Singer Is Feuding With Macklemore And Talib Kweli [VIDEOS]
We haven't heard much from Iggy Azalea in recent months. The "Black Widow" singer took a break from social media after a few hostile interactions online and has been keeping a relatively low profile. But she's come back in a big way to speak out about a new song--only it's not one of her own.
Macklemore's new single "White Privilege II" calls to task performers that the rapper believes are appropriating hip-hop culture. And he's not shy about name-dropping some big stars: "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/Fake and so plastic, you've heisted the magic." Macklemore also included himself on the list of white people appropriating black culture.
The whole thing might have gone unnoticed (at least until the album drops in February), except for the fact that one of Azalea's fans asked her for a comment on the lyrics. That's when things started to get ugly.
@lggysBae he shouldnt have spent the last 3 yrs having friendly convos and taking pictures together at events etc if those were his feelings
— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) January 22, 2016
Her response infuriated hip-hop artist Talib Kweli, who blasted the rapper in no uncertain terms. “The fact @iggyazalea thinks Macklemore song was a diss to her, instead of actually listening, is proof of her privilege. F— Iggy Azalea." Kweli went on to say that originally he had supported Azalea and her work, but eventually had changed his tune.
True story. I actually rooted for Iggy when she first came out. But she's disrespected hip hop culture one too many times. — Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) January 22, 2016
From then on, it was an all-out war between the two. Azalea claimed that Kweli's facts were inaccurate and that she had nothing but respect for hip-hop culture and history, and denied her privilege. Kweli was not convinced.
@IGGYAZALEA you wondered to a fan who called a diss, why he would pretend to be friendly with you as if the song make him fake. Own it. — Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) January 22, 2016
@IGGYAZALEA If you can find the time to be offended when Macklemore suggests that black lives matter, u can find the time to say they do. — Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) January 22, 2016
The two argued and traded barbs in an increasingly heated war of words, but couldn't come to any sort of common ground. Ultimately they decided to agree to disagree, and left it at that. There's been no comment from Macklemore's camp as of yet, and Azalea insists her Tweet didn't qualify as an official statement. Maybe for now, Macklemore is letting his lyrics speak for themselves (and with Talib Kweli eloquently defending him, there's not much more he could say).
This isn't Azalea's first rodeo: the rapper has feuded with everyone from Nicki Minaj and Azealia Banks to Britney Spears and Eminem. But this may be the first time she's gotten into a fight with one musician about another musician's lyrics (especially when one of the main players--namely Macklemore--didn't even make an appearance in the Twitter fight).
So when it comes down to it, who is Azalea really feuding with? Is she angry at Macklemore (despite her protests), Talib Kweli, or both? It's hard to say at this juncture but judging from the heated Tweets (and the album's upcoming release), we suspect the debate surrounding "White Privilege II" is far from over.
