Does Iggy Azalea Have “White Privilege” In Hip Hop?

By: @BRADVINTAGE

Does Iggy Azalea Have “White Privilege” In Hip Hop?

Up-and-coming raptress Iggy Azalea has taken the hip-hop world by storm since she came on the scene under The Grand Hustle brand. The Austrian native has told her story of being 16 and moving to the south to jumpstart her career during many interviews. Fast forwarding to present day we can see her grind has paid off bringing her into mainstream. The curvaceous pale beauty has been achieving many milestones this year. According to the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart she owns the #1 spot for her single “Fancy” and #2 spot as a feature for Ariana Grande’s “Problem”. Keep in mind an artist has not done this since The Beatles back in 1964. Most recently she is also wrapping up her tour, “The New Classic,” in America with plans to continue in Europe during the summer.

In light of her success, a shadow of controversy has come upon the young starlet when Forbes declared “Hip Hop Is Run By A White, Blonde, Australian Woman”. Although Forbes later retracted their statement by changing the title, once the original article was released it created quite a buzz through social media. Now of course it is wonderful to see any woman creating history especially in a male dominated field.

On the contrary, it does make one question why Forbes, which is normally based on business, has not discussed the accolades of other great female rappers such as Nicki Minaj, Missy Elliott, or Lil Kim. Did Forbes forget that Nicki Minaj “Pink Friday” sold 375,000 copies its first week, while “The New Classic” only sold 52,000? Or the fact that Missy Elliott is the only female MC to have six platinum certified albums to date? What about Lil Kim being the first female to even grace the Billboard Hot 100 with her song “Lady Marmalade”? Maybe Forbes should do a little more research next time. What do you think? Is there any room for white privilege in hip-hop?