Iggy Azalea may receive a bevy of backlash, but she’s not slowing down anytime soon.
GQ recently caught up with the six-foot beauty to talk to her about what 2015 has in store for her career, which already includes four Grammy noms. In between talking about what constitutes her “good life” and her cooking skills, Iggy talked about wanting longevity in hip-hop. The Aussie rapper said she doesn’t know how long people will appreciate her music, but says that whether she is gone within the next few years or not, she’s satisfied knowing that her songs made people accept seeing artists from different cultures making hip-hop.
“I might be here for a long time,” said the 24-year-old. “At the very worst, if I have a short-lived career, at least I could say I sparked a change—that I inspired some leniency in what people accept in hip-hop. And if I have a very long career and can be gyrating in a leotard at 35, that would be great.”
The “Black Widow” rapper is no stranger to criticism. Last month, she was lectured by Q-Tip about the history of hip-hop, gets continuously slammed by fellow femcee Azealia Banks and receives criticism for sweeping the hip-hop categories at recent award shows. During her sit down, she revealed that those award nominations that she receives so much flack for actually help her deal with her naysayers.
“Uh, awards season helps. Anytime where people get to choose who they want to have a voice and they choose me, I just think that makes it worth it. And that gives me the patience to just bite my tongue. When people choose me as the person they think should be speaking for them, I think, ‘Well, I don’t really care what someone in the industry or another artist has to say about it. Your opinion is biased anyway, because you want people to listen to your voice’. So having actual people who choose me, it makes me think, ‘I have a place, and I don’t care what other people have to say about it’. I was a fan of rap music growing up, and I didn’t feel like there were enough characters that represented me and my situation. So I think it’s needed.”
Read the rest of her GQ interview here.