retire
This year marks the ten-year anniversary of Iggy Azalea‘s ascent to Stateside superstardom, and the Grammy-nominated “Fancy” rapper seems to be marking the occasion with an apparent retirement announcement.
In a lengthy message to her fans posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday (Jan. 3), Azalea detailed the thought process that helped her decide to shift her focus away from music. “I’ve always been someone who finds my joy in being creative & seeing my ideas come to life. For a long time I used music to deliver my big crazy ideas to the world,” she wrote. “I know a lot of people have this idea that I was ‘bullied away from music’ and that’s something I’ve always laughed at because I’d never be bullied out of anything! In fact, I’m too stubborn. I think I’ve even resisted changes within myself at times, purely because I don’t like being viewed as someone who quits.”
The most recent musical updates from Azalea detailed a forthcoming as-yet-untitled fourth studio album set to be executive-produced by the now-incarcerated Tory Lanez. The album was intended to be the follow-up to 2021’s The End of an Era, which featured collaborations with BIA and Tyga, among others.
“In truth what I’ve known for a long time is that I feel more passionately about design and creative direction than I do about songwriting,” she continued. “That’s why I want to let you know that I’m not going to finish my album. It’s been paused for a few months while I was giving direction for a different project & in truth I just haven’t felt the urge to go back to it. I feel really happy & passionate in my day to day life when my [mind’s] focused on that and so I want to stick to what’s undeniably best for me.”
Although she was working on an album, Azalea has always had her hands in multiple creative pots. The “Black Widow” rapper has self-directed a number of her own music videos — including the Jennifer Hudson-assisted “Trouble” and 2021’s “I Am The Stripclub” — and, back in 2012, she signed a modeling contract with Wilhelmina Models. At the top of last year, Azalea joined the subscription-based OnlyFans platform to deliver illustrations, poetry, photography and videos to her most loyal fans. Later this year, Azalea will perform at the 2024 AVN Awards.
Azalea closed out her message saying, “[Can’t] wait to start sharing some of the things I’ve been involved in creating & hoping you’ll see my quirk & humor in anything I touch!”
Iggy Azalea has earned four career Billboard 200 entries, including her Grammy-nominated debut studio album, The New Classic (No. 3), her highest-charting entry on the ranking to date. On the Billboard Hot 100, she has notched three top ten hits from 13 total entries, including “Problem” (No. 2, with Ariana Grande), “Black Widow” (No. 3, with Rita Ora) and “Fancy” (No. 1, with Charli XCX). Her most recent musical release is last year’s “Money Come,” which received a remix featuring Ivorian Doll and Big Boss Vette.
Check out Iggy’s full message below:
This is gonna be long….so only bother reading if you love me. (If you still bother anyway you’re a weirdo who has been warned. 🤷♀️😂)I’ve always been someone who finds my joy in being creative & seeing my ideas come to life. For a long time I used music to deliver my big…— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) January 3, 2024
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Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty
It seems Westside Gunn has had enough. He has announced he will bow out of the game once this year concludes.
As per Complex the Buffalo, New York talent is leaving Rap once his business in 2023 is finished. Last week he took to Twitter to make the announcement. “23’ def my last year doing this sh*t, I don’t have nothing else 2prove, I put my team on, I put my city on, I worked w/everybody I ever wanted to work with” he wrote. “plus MFs still don’t even understand 1-10, FLYGOD, Awesome GOD, or Pray for Paris(mind u Virgil did the cover) im the [goat emoji]”.
He went to admit that he has said this prior but he is standing on business this time. “I know I say I’m a retire all the time so ppl might be like he always say this, seriously I been thru so much with this sh*t behind closed doors y’all would never know, it’s brought more pain than joy I’m just so G that I make it look super easy but I fight these devils everyday”.
FLYGOD went on to explain that he will still be putting out music but as an executive. “I’m still going to curate albums and btw I been secretly working on a @EsteeNack project I’m calling Nacksaw Jim Duggan and this sh*t is F***in KRAAAAAAZY but I still love the ART of executive producing but it will only be if my heart is into it u can’t ask me I have to ask you”.
You can see a clip from his upcoming video for “Super Kick Party” below.
Photo: Houseparty/Harris Freeman
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