Iggy Azalea’s New Album Is Getting Bad Reviews, But She’s Not Having It

Iggy Azalea’s new album, In My Defense, hit shelves a few weeks ago and the reviews are in. Critics haven’t been kind to the Australian rapper, but she’s not at all surprised.

Azalea’s always had trouble with reviewers. Still, she felt the need to defend her work on Twitter recently. Responding to a fan who said she was “sad” reading the negative coverage of Azalea’s latest release, the rapper suggested she wasn’t going to give up on her dreams over a few bad reviews.

“Reading the review from In My Defense has me so sad,” the fan tweeted to Azalea. “Even the Wikipedia page now says it got bad reviews.”

“Babe, relax,” the rapper replied. “Critics have literally NEVER given any album I’ve made a good review, and I’m still here!”

Azalea added, “What did you think was gonna happen.”

In My Defense released last week. It came roughly five years after the release of her debut album, The New Classic. Her first project topped the charts, while In My Defense struggled.

Critics slammed Azalea’s latest project as “unoriginal” and even accused her of cultural appropriation.

“The album is stacked with cartoonish approximations of what she thinks a rap song should sound like,” Pitchfork said, rating the album a 3.8 out of 10. “Iggy Azalea is not the only current rapper who fills songs with dreary, monotonous references to sex and money, but many find creative, amusing, and even raw ways to write and spit about both.”

Similarly, Clash said the album had “a borrowed feel.”

“It’s almost as if the twelve-track set is delivered as a project that she links that we want to hear, as opposed to what is truly on her mind,” the magazine said of In My Defense. “Similarly [single] ‘Sally Walker’ — also part of In My Defense — arrived earlier this year as an instant parallel to Cardi B’s ‘Money,’ sparking no sign of originality, particularly in the production arena.”

Meanwhile the NZ Herald noted Azalea’s “Southern drawl,” which has replaced her native Australian accent.

“The controversial Aussie rapper has returned with the same faux Southern drawl and vernacular that had earned her accusations of cultural appropriation,” the outlet stated. “It’s not even just about the appropriation; she also speaks about being poor while also stunting about her wealth with all the self-awareness of a teaspoon.”

While critics have been bashing In My Defense, Azalea’s loyal fan base has been eating it up. At least she can take some solace in knowing that.