Released:15 March 2019
In My Defense is the second studio album by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was released independently on 19 July 2019,by Azalea's label Bad Dreams Records and Empire Distribution serving as the follow-up to The New Classic (2014). [3] The album contains features from Lil Yachty,Kash Doll,Juicy J,and Iggy's protégée Stini,with production including J. White Did It,who executive produced the album with handling production on majority of its tracks,as well as with Smash David,Go Grizzly and Rico Beats.
In My Defense was preceded by three singles. "Sally Walker",released on 15 March 2019,debuted and peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Started" was released as the second single on 3 May 2019. "Fuck It Up" featuring American rapper Kash Doll was released as the third and final single on the day of the album's release.
The album debuted at number 50 on the US Billboard 200 and number 6 on the Independent Albums chart selling 11,261 album equivalent units in its first week. The album received generally negative reviews from music critics.
In early 2016,Azalea released "Team", [4] the intended lead single from her second studio album,then titled Digital Distortion. Several other songs were released throughout 2016,2017 and 2018,including the singles "Mo Bounce","Switch" and "Savior". In late 2017,Azalea announced that the album had been shelved completely because of her ex-fiancébasketball player Nick Young cheating on her [5] [6] and she was working on a new record. Shortly afterwards,it was announced that she had signed to Island Records. In mid-2018,Azalea released the extended play Survive the Summer ,which includes the RIAA-certified single,"Kream",featuring Tyga. [7] Several months after the EP's release,Azalea announced she had left Island Records and had become an independent unsigned artist.[ citation needed ]
In August 2018,Azalea expressed her anticipation to record her album on Twitter. [8] In November,Azalea signed a multi-million dollar distribution deal with Empire [9] after her departure from Island Records. [10] [11] [12] [13] In February 2019,Azalea announced the first single release,"Sally Walker". The single was released on 15 March 2019. [14] [15] The second single "Started" was released along with its music video on 3 May 2019. [16] Azalea also teased an upcoming collaboration with Brazilian drag queen Pabllo Vittar on Twitter. On 28 June 2019,"Just Wanna" was released as a promotional single along with the album pre-order.[ citation needed ]
"Sally Walker" was released on March 15, 2019, as the lead single for the album. The single would experience moderate success, reaching number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 27 on the US Rhythmic Chart, marking Iggy's first appearance on both charts, since her single "Kream" in 2018. The song was also performed in Las Vegas, Nevada on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! Show. The music video was released the same day as the single's release and featured a cameo from YouTuber James Charles.[ citation needed ]
The second single "Started" was released on May 3, 2019, and reached number 20 on the Songs Bubbling Under Hot 100 and 76 on UK Singles Chart. Its music video was released the same day. On August 10, 2021, the RIAA certified its sales with a Gold plaque after selling 500,000 units in the United States. [17]
"Fuck It Up" featuring rapper Kash Doll was released on July 19, 2019, as the third and final single and reached number 40 on the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart.[ citation needed ]
"Just Wanna" was released as the only promotional single on June 28, 2019, alongside the album's pre-order.[ citation needed ]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 39/100 [18] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [19] |
Clash | 5/10 [20] |
HipHopDX | [21] |
Idolator | [22] |
Pitchfork | 3.8/10 [23] |
New Zealand Herald | [24] |
Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ ( ) [25] |
In My Defense was met with negative reviews from music critics, Aggerator Metacritic the album received an average score of 39 out of 100, based on four reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [18]
AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung said that on the album Azalea "continues bragging, boasting, and fronting without any depth or sounding pleasure". [19] In a negative review, Pitchfork 's Dani Blum wrote "The album is stacked with cartoonish approximations of what she thinks a rap song should sound like: shivers of bass, the occasional 'skrrrt,' Mad Libs of designer brands and bodily fluids. Many sound like direct imitations of the rappers she admires," and critiques the album as a whole to be "Iggy cram[ming] her songs with one-liners that sound like branded Instagram captions". He praised "Sally Walker" as the best song on the album, while "Freak of the Week" was described as "a rejected track by Megan Thee Stallion". [23] Siena Yates of New Zealand Herald said that the album "half these songs feature a good 30 seconds of Iggy just repeating the title over and over, and none of them particularly stand out". [24]
Mike Neid of Idolator stated "It's raucous and unrepentant fun. A comedown would only provide a little more depth." [22] Craig Jenkins of Vulture stated "In My Defense is a funny follow-up to the frustrations of the Digital Distortion era because the title and cover art are ruses... It's an improvement over last year's EP [Survive the Summer]. Iggy Azalea seems to be in control of her career for the first time in a long time. Not everyone in the game can say the same." [26] Nicolas Tyrell of Clash magazine praised her overall improvement, "Azalea has improved in both her flow and story-telling in her time away from the mainstream", but noted the album as a whole is "delivered as a project that she thinks that we want to hear, as opposed to what is truly on her mind". [20] Tom Hull applauded the rapper for "doubl[ing] down on her hard edge here". [25]
In the US, In My Defense debuted at number 50 on the US Billboard 200 with 11,261 album-equivalent units, including 5,779 pure album sales and a streaming count of 6.67 million. [27] This marks Azalea's fourth appearance on the chart. The album would also land on the US Independent Albums chart at number 6 and number 25 on the US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.
The album would peak at number 52 and 18 on the Australian Albums and Australian Urban Albums chart respectively, while also reaching number 137 on the Belgian Albums chart.
In the UK, the album did not enter the UK Albums chart but did peak at number 36 and number 35 on the UK Digital Albums and UK Independent Albums chart. It also reached number 7 on the UK R&B Albums chart.
All tracks produced by J. White Did It, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Thanks I Get" |
| 2:34 | |
2. | "Clap Back" |
| 3:28 | |
3. | "Sally Walker" |
| 2:58 | |
4. | "Hoemita" (featuring Lil Yachty) |
| 3:03 | |
5. | "Started" |
| 3:06 | |
6. | "Spend It" |
| 3:12 | |
7. | "Fuck It Up" (featuring Kash Doll) |
| 2:51 | |
8. | "Big Bag" (featuring Stini) |
|
| 2:49 |
9. | "Comme des Garçons" | Kelly | Rico Beats | 3:39 |
10. | "Freak of the Week" (featuring Juicy J) |
| 3:12 | |
11. | "Just Wanna" | Kelly | 2:47 | |
12. | "Pussy Pop" | Kelly | 1:53 | |
Total length: | 35:32 |
Samples
Credits adapted from Tidal. [29]
Performance
| Production
|
Technical
Artwork
Chart (2019) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [30] | 52 |
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA) [31] | 18 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [32] | 137 |
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA) [33] | 13 |
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [34] | 36 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [35] | 35 |
UK R&B Albums (OCC) [36] | 7 |
US Billboard 200 [37] | 50 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [38] | 6 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [39] | 25 |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | 19 July 2019 | Bad Dreams | ||
2 August 2019 | CD | [40] | ||
26 August 2019 | [41] |
Amethyst Amelia Kelly, known professionally as Iggy Azalea, is an Australian rapper, songwriter, model and businesswoman. Born in Sydney, Australia, Azalea moved to the United States at the age of 16 in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognition after releasing the music videos for her songs "Pussy" and "Two Times" on YouTube. Shortly after releasing those two songs, she released her debut mixtape, Ignorant Art (2011), and subsequently signed a recording contract with American rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle label.
"Go Hard or Go Home" is a song by American rapper Wiz Khalifa and Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It appears on the Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2015) and was available as an instant track upon pre-ordering the album via iTunes stores on February 17, 2015. The song was produced by The Featherstones. A second version entitled "Go Hard or Go Home Part 2" featuring Khalifa, French Montana, Trey Songz and Ty Dolla Sign was included as a bonus track on the deluxe version of the soundtrack.
Australian rapper Iggy Azalea has released three studio albums, five extended plays (EPs), two mixtapes and seventeen singles. In September 2011, Azalea released her first mixtape, Ignorant Art. Following the release, Azalea signed a recording contract with T.I.'s record label Grand Hustle. In July 2012, she released a free EP entitled Glory, and in October of that year, Azalea released her second mixtape, TrapGold.
"Work" is the debut single recorded by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea for her debut studio album, The New Classic (2014). It was released as the album's lead single on 17 March 2013. The track was written by Azalea, Trocon Markous Roberts, Natalie Sims, and The Invisible Men who produced it with 1st Down of FKi. Hailed by Azalea as her most personal song, "Work" was developed with motivational and inspirational intentions to portray her life story; specifically dealing with her struggle as an up-and-coming rapper, and her relocation from Mullumbimby, New South Wales, to Miami, Florida, at age 16. In sequence with its lyrical story, the snap and trap track begins with a sad-stringed verse segment before significantly increasing in tempo at its drum and synth-heavy refrain.
The New Classic is the debut studio album by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was released on 21 April 2014 by Def Jam Recordings in a joint venture with Grand Hustle Records. Primarily a hip hop album, The New Classic features elements of EDM, dance-pop and trap in its production.
"Fancy" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea featuring British singer Charli XCX, taken from the former's debut studio album, The New Classic (2014). It was released on 17 February 2014 by Def Jam Recordings as the fourth single from the album. "Fancy" was described as an electro-hop, electropop, and pop rap song. It was written by Azalea and XCX, composed and produced by production team the Invisible Men, alongside additional producers the Arcade. It was leaked under the title "Leave It" in December 2013.
"Black Widow" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea featuring British singer Rita Ora. Released through Def Jam Recordings, the song impacted on mainstream radio stations in the US on 8 July 2014, as the fifth single from her debut studio album, The New Classic (2014). It was written by Azalea, Katy Perry, Sarah Hudson, Benny Blanco, and duo Stargate, while the latter also produced the song. Lyrically, it addressed revenge after a failed romantic relationship. An accompanying music video for the song was released on 13 August 2014.
"Problem" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande, featuring Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was released by Republic Records on April 28, 2014 as the lead single from Grande's second studio album, My Everything (2014). It was written by both alongside Savan Kotecha, Ilya and Max Martin, being produced by the latter two with Shellback, with Peter Carlsson serving as a vocal producer. "Problem" is an uptempo dance-pop and R&B song with influences of funk music, which comprises a melody based on drums, saxophone loops, and trumpets. The chorus features uncredited background vocals from American hip-hop artist Big Sean. Lyrically, Grande has stated that the song is about "the feeling of being absolutely terrified to re-approach a relationship that's gone sour – but you want to more than anything."
"Beg for It" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, featuring Danish singer MØ. It was written by Azalea and Charli XCX. The song was released on 24 October 2014 as the lead single from the reissue of Azalea's debut studio album The New Classic (2014), titled Reclassified (2014). An initial live preview of the song in September 2014 resulted in widespread media speculation that it featured XCX as the sequel to "Fancy", XCX's previous collaboration with Azalea. However, it was later revealed that XCX wrote the track's hook for MØ, who Azalea discovered on YouTube. A hip hop and trap song, "Beg for It" contains a percolating, booming stark beat and solicits a sinuous, minimalist feel. Its lyrical content comprises themes of girl power and prominently figures the phrase "pussy power".
Reclassified is the reissue of Australian rapper Iggy Azalea's debut studio album, The New Classic (2014). It was released internationally on 21 November 2014 by Virgin EMI Records, and in the United States on 24 November 2014 by Grand Hustle Records and Def Jam Recordings. Released seven months after its parent album, Reclassified featured five newly recorded songs.
"Trouble" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea featuring American recording artist Jennifer Hudson, taken from Reclassified, the former's 2014 reissue of her debut studio album The New Classic. The song was produced by The Invisible Men and Salt Wives.
Survive the Summer is the fourth extended play by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was released on 3 August 2018 by Island Records. Work began in mid-2017. Survive the Summer contains production by Bedrock, Ronny J, GT and Wallis Lane.
"Team" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was released on 18 March 2016 as a digital download and serviced to US contemporary hit and rhythmic contemporary radio on 5 April 2016 as the lead single from Azalea's second studio album Digital Distortion. However, the album was later shelved, resulting in "Team" being a stand-alone single. Azalea wrote "Team" with Bebe Rexha, Lauren Christy, among other credited composers, including the main producers, a part of the D.R.U.G.S. collective: Marlon "Chordz" Barrow, Alexander "Nezzo" Palmer and Michael "Omega" Fonseca, with additional contributors Ryan Anthony Avilez, Louis Harden and Brandon "Stix" Salaam-Bailey. The song contains an interpolation from the 1999 composition "Back That Azz Up", written and performed by Juvenile, Lil Wayne and Mannie Fresh.
"Kream" is a song recorded by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea featuring American rapper Tyga. The song was released on 6 July 2018 by Island Records and serves as the lead single for her extended play Survive the Summer. It was written by Azalea, Tyga, and Ronny J. Production was handled by Ronny J, GT, and Wallis Lane. The song samples Wu Tang Clan's "C.R.E.A.M." and Raw Beat Mafia's "Dead End". The song passed 100 million streams on Spotify in February 2020, becoming Azalea's most recent song to do that since 2014's "No Mediocre" with T.I.
"Sally Walker" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. Written alongside producer J. White Did It, it was released on 15 March 2019 as the lead single from her second studio album In My Defense via Bad Dreams Records/Empire Distribution. The music video, directed by Colin Tilley, accompanied its release the same day. The song debuted and peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Started" is a song recorded by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea for her second studio album In My Defense. The song was written by Azalea alongside Ronny Wright and produced by American record producer J. White Did It. It was released by Bad Dreams and Empire on 3 May 2019 as the second single from the album.
"Fuck It Up" is a song recorded by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea for her second studio album In My Defense (2019). It was released as the third and final single on 19 July 2019, the day of the album's release. The song features vocals from American rapper Kash Doll and was produced by J. White Did It, who served as an executive producer on In My Defense and produced the album's previous two singles, "Sally Walker" and "Started". It was released by Bad Dreams Records and Empire Distribution
Wicked Lips is the fifth extended play by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, released on 2 December 2019 through Bad Dreams Records and Empire. Although it was initially announced to be a reissue of Azalea's second studio album In My Defense, it was revealed through the rapper's Twitter that her next musical project would be an extended play.
The End of an Era is the third and final studio album by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. It was released independently on 13 August 2021 through Azalea's label Bad Dreams Records and Empire Distribution, with the deluxe edition following on 17 September 2021. Taking inspiration from the end of her 20s for the title, Azalea stated that she wanted the album to be a "time capsule" of that decade of her life. The End of an Era includes guest appearances from Bia, Sophia Scott and Ellise on the standard edition, while Alice Chater and Tyga are featured on the deluxe edition. Production was handled by Azalea's frequent collaborator J. White Did It and several others. It was preceded by three singles: "Sip It", "Brazil" and "Iam the Stripclub".