Reclassified | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album (reissue)by | ||||
Released | 21 November 2014 | |||
Recorded | 2013–2014 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:00 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
Iggy Azalea chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Reclassified | ||||
|
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.
It peaked at number sixteen on the US Billboard 200 becoming her second consecutive entry on the chart, also charting in countries such as Australia, Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Reclassified was preceded by "Beg for It", featuring MØ, and "Trouble", featuring Jennifer Hudson, with the latter peaking at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. [2]
In April 2014, Azalea released her debut album The New Classic. Following its release, The New Classic debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 and in the top five of several international markets. The album also topped the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Rap Albums charts. It was met with mixed reviews from music critics. The album's fourth single "Fancy" became a breakthrough hit for Azalea, peaking at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, holding the top spot for seven consecutive weeks. It went on to become the longest running number one single from a female rapper as a lead artist surpassing "Lady Marmalade", which featured American rapper Lil' Kim. The following single "Black Widow" peaked at number three on the US Hot 100.
On 4 September 2014, Azalea announced that she would be reissuing her debut studio album The New Classic. [3] She commented that a collaboration with English recording artist Ellie Goulding would be included on the forthcoming project, [4] and previewed the tracks "Beg for It" and a scrapped solo recording from The New Classic recording sessions titled "Cheeks". [5] Azalea later revealed that she would be collaborating with Ellie Goulding on a track called "Heavy Crown" featured in the film Kingsman: The Secret Service . [6] In October, a friend of Azalea uploaded a video on her Instagram account. The video featured her and Azalea in a car, listening to the new song "Beg for It". [7] Another song was also teased via Instagram entitled "Iggy SZN". [8] Azalea then confirmed that "Beg for It", featuring Danish singer MØ, would be her next single. [9] The album was recorded in Los Angeles.
During an interview with Extra at the Vevo Certified SuperFanFest on 8 October 2014, Azalea commented that she was "really excited" about her upcoming release saying that the new material was "uptempo and fun," adding that she "did a lot more collaborations because I felt like I had doors open for me and I had the opportunity to collaborate with artists that I didn't have before when I made my first album, so this time I got to kind of call whoever I wanted up and do my dream collaborations – it's really exciting!" [10] During yet another interview with Radio.com backstage at the CBS Radio We Can Survive concert at the Hollywood Bowl on 24 October 2014, Azalea mentioned her longtime desire to work with Ellie Goulding and after meeting several times she was approached by Goulding about a song that would become "Heavy Crown", recalling "she played it for me and I was in love with it and just felt it was so kind of appropriate for this to be our collaboration," because it "brings out something different in both artists that you don't usually see." Most notably, the track shows off an edgier side of Goulding, whose voice Azalea called "unique and ethereal sounding." "She loved it because she felt like she doesn't do things that are as aggressive as our song together," Azalea explained.[ citation needed ]
With the expanded re-release, Azalea also got to team up with Jennifer Hudson for a second time, after being featured on Hudson's song "He Ain't Goin' Nowhere" off her third studio album JHUD , "It kind of has a doo-wop feel," Azalea said, also mentioning her desire to do something different from her musical style and being excited about performing it; "It's kind of something you'd picture Aretha Franklin singing." [11]
In contrast to the new material, some of the tracks from the original album were left off in favor of the newer songs. Older discarded songs included the Mavado-assisted "Lady Patra", "Impossible Is Nothing", "New Bitch", and intro track "Walk the Line".[ citation needed ] These tracks were all included on the Japanese-exclusive edition of the album.
The artwork for Reclassified was revealed on 9 October 2014. [12] Azalea then premiered an album track, "Iggy SZN", made available with the album pre-order on iTunes stores worldwide. She performed the first single "Beg for It", featuring MØ, for the first time in the fourth episode of Saturday Night Live's season 40, hosted by Jim Carrey. [13] On 12 November, Azalea uploaded on her YouTube channel a preview of the first track on Reclassified, "We In This Bitch". [14] On 14 November, another preview of "Heavy Crown" was also uploaded on the channel. [15] On 17 November, a final album track preview for "Trouble", featuring Jennifer Hudson, was also unveiled. [16] The reissue was released internationally on 21 November 2014 [17] and in the United States on 24 November 2014. [18] Azalea also performed "Beg for It" during a medley with "Fancy", featuring Charli XCX, at the 2014 American Music Awards at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles on 23 November 2014, where she won two awards for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist. [19] On 24 November 2014, an official lyric video for the track premiered on her Vevo channel. [20] She also teamed up with The Roots for a performance at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 26 November 2014. [21]
"Beg for It" was released as the first single from the reissue in the United States on 24 October 2014. It debuted at number ninety-two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending 8 November 2014, [22] peaking at number twenty-seven and becoming Azalea's sixth top 40 hit on the chart in 2014. In Australia, the song debuted at number seventy-three on the ARIA Singles Chart for the week ending 10 November 2014, [23] and jumped to number twenty-nine on the following week. [24]
"Trouble", featuring Jennifer Hudson, was released as the album's second single. [25] On 4 February 2015, Azalea and Hudson performed the song for the first time by teaming up with The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . [26] The song was serviced to mainstream radio stations in the US on 24 February 2015 and an accompanying music video was also shot earlier that month, having premiered on 27 February 2015 through Azalea's VEVO channel. [27]
Besides the two new singles, all five singles from The New Classic re-appeared on Reclassified: "Work", "Change Your Life", "Bounce", "Fancy" and "Black Widow". The track "Iggy SZN" was also released as a promotional single prior to the album's release.[ citation needed ]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [28] |
Idolator | [29] |
New York Daily News | [30] |
NME | 6/10 [31] |
State | [32] |
Reclassified received a positive reception by the music critics, Jim Farber of the New York Daily News gave Reclassified three and a half out of five stars, praising the new tracks "We in This Bitch", "Heavy Crown", "Trouble", and "Iggy SZN", stating "Luckily, most of the tracks on Reclassified actually are worth it. That's vital, since only five of the songs qualify as genuinely new." Despite praising a majority of the new tracks, he expressed distaste towards "Beg for It", expressing that it seems lazy as it "merely turns the hook from 'Fancy' on its side." He concluded, "Though Azalea ends the album with an admission that the golden headdress of pop fame "comes and goes," she gleefully states, "bitch, I got it now." For the moment, it seems like she deserves it." [30]
Mark Beaumont of NME gave it a rating of six out of ten, a higher score than the original album version review by the same publication, claiming that "the Aussie rapper offers a slight improvement on her debut LP with this reissue." [31] Mike Wass of Idolator gave the album a 4/5 rating calling it "as good an opportunity as any to acknowledge that the femcee's debut is actually relentlessly enjoyable," adding that "there isn't a dud track" and "of the other new cuts, 'Heavy Crown' stands out as another future hit". [29] Rory Cashin of State gave the album three out of five stars, commenting that "the new additions are mostly winners," but "just like her first time out with this album, Iggy has a problem; trying too hard to please herself and please commercial radio." [32] David Jeffries of AllMusic, who had also reviewed The New Classic , gave it three and a half out of five stars and said, "In the end, Reclassified is a better effort than The New Classic and offers more bang for the buck, but this "release it until you get it right" blueprint is concerning for consumers, who now have a choice between rebuying it all or seeking out the new numbers on their own." [28]
In Australia, Reclassified debuted at number thirty-two on the ARIA Albums Chart for the week ending 1 December 2014, [33] while appearing at number nineteen on its digital sales-only based version, the ARIA Digital Albums Chart, [34] and also peaking at number 3 on the ARIA Urban Albums Chart. [35] In the United States, it debuted at number twenty-seven on the Billboard 200 chart, with 33,638 album-equivalent units, while its parent album The New Classic also climbed back up to number seventy, with 14,155 units, for the week ending 30 November 2014. [36] It peaked at number sixteen on the Billboard 200 chart for the week ending 4 January 2015, with 29,461 units, entering the top twenty for the first time due to a big boost as a function of album streams and single song sales. [37] On the following week, it remained in the top twenty dropping two spots to number eighteen. [38] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number one hundred eighteen [39] and charted at number fifty-nine on the Official UK Albums Chart Top 100 [40] and number four on the UK R&B Albums Top 40 for the week ending 10 January 2015. [41] On 10 May 2015, Reclassified climbed eighty places re-entering the Official UK Albums Chart Top 100 at a new peak of thirty-eight, [42] [43] after appearing at number twenty-two on the Official Midweek UK Albums Chart Update on 6 May 2015. [44]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "We in This Bitch" |
|
| 4:10 |
2. | "Work" |
|
| 3:43 |
3. | "Change Your Life" (featuring T.I.) |
| The Messengers | 3:40 |
4. | "Beg for It" (featuring MØ) |
|
| 2:58 |
5. | "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora) | 3:29 | ||
6. | "Trouble" (featuring Jennifer Hudson) |
|
| 2:46 |
7. | "Don't Need Y'all" |
|
| 3:33 |
8. | "Rolex" |
|
| 3:23 |
9. | "Iggy SZN" |
|
| 3:20 |
10. | "Fancy" (featuring Charli XCX) |
|
| 3:19 |
11. | "Heavy Crown" (featuring Ellie Goulding) |
|
| 3:52 |
12. | "Bounce" |
|
| 2:47 |
Total length: | 41:00 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Walk the Line" |
|
| 3:38 |
14. | "100" (featuring Watch the Duck) |
| Watch the Duck | 4:09 |
15. | "New Bitch" |
|
| 3:37 |
16. | "Impossible Is Nothing" |
|
| 3:10 |
17. | "Goddess" |
|
| 3:10 |
18. | "Lady Patra" (featuring Mavado) |
|
| 3:56 |
19. | "Fuck Love" |
|
| 2:39 |
20. | "Just Askin'" |
|
| 2:58 |
21. | "Fancy" (Dabin & Apashe Remix) |
|
| |
22. | "Black Widow" (86 Remix) |
|
|
Credits for The New Classic adapted from Barnes & Noble [47]
Performance credits
|
|
Technical credits
|
|
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Poland (ZPAV) [61] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [62] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Catalogue no. | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 21 November 2014 | CD | Virgin EMI | 4709676 | [63] |
Digital download | None | [64] | |||
New Zealand | [45] | ||||
United Kingdom | 24 November 2014 | CD | [65] | ||
Digital download | [66] | ||||
United States | CD | Def Jam Recordings | [67] | ||
Digital download | [68] | ||||
Argentina | 25 November 2014 | Universal Music Argentina | [69] | ||
Japan | 10 December 2014 | CD | Universal Music Japan | UICR-1115 | [46] |
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.
"Bounce" is a song recorded by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea for her debut album, The New Classic (2014) appearing on the deluxe edition. "Bounce" was written by Azalea, its producers Reeva & Black, Speedy Jay, Talay Riley, Oladayo Olatunji and Natalie Sims. Developed as a festival anthem about celebration, Azalea wanted the track to showcase a fun side to her artistry and offset the seriousness of her previous single "Work". Distinctly more pop-indebted than her previous material, the EDM, hip hop and trap song contains a prominent build-drop production formula and elements of Eastern music with tabla and sarangi instruments.
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.
"Change Your Life" is a song recorded by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea for her debut studio album, The New Classic (2014). It features guest vocals by American rapper T.I. Initially a demo by Indian-American songwriter Raja Kumari, the song's final composition was co-written by Azalea, Natalie Sims, Kumari, the song's producers The Messengers, Lovy Longomba and T.I. It is a mid-tempo dub-step and synthpop song inspired by Azalea's personal dating experiences, and comprises bass-driven and synth-heavy production. Described by Azalea as "a kind of rap duet", it features her singing on a track for the first time which she took upon to showcase growth and versatility from her previous material.
"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.
"No Mediocre" is a song by American rapper T.I., released on June 17, 2014, through Grand Hustle and Columbia Records, as the lead single from his ninth studio album Paperwork (2014). It is a hip hop song, produced by DJ Mustard, and it features a guest appearance from Grand Hustle protégé, Australian rapper Iggy Azalea.
"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".
"Iggy SZN" is a song by Australian recording artist Iggy Azalea, taken from her reissue for her debut studio album, Reclassified (2014). The song was produced by The Invisible Men and The Arcade. On 23 October, it was made available for streaming. A day later, the track was available as an instant track upon pre-ordering the album via iTunes stores. "Iggy SZN" is built on electro handclap based beats and synthesisers. The song gained mixed critical reception and peaked at number ninety-five and eleven on the Australian Singles Chart and the Australian Urban Chart, respectively. In the United States, the track charted at number forty-eight on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"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.
"Pretty Girls" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears and Australian rapper Iggy Azalea. Azalea co-wrote the song with Maegan Cottone, British girl group Little Mix, and the song's producers, The Invisible Men. The single was released on May 4, 2015, by RCA Records.
"Heavy Crown" is a song recorded by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea featuring English singer Ellie Goulding, recorded for Reclassified (2014), the reissue of Azalea's debut studio album The New Classic (2014). Azalea and Goulding co-wrote the song with its producers, Salt Wives and The Invisible Men, with additional writing from Jon Turner. "Heavy Crown" received generally positive reviews from critics, who commended Azalea's delivery on the track, finding it to be superior to that of her earlier songs.
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.
"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.
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). 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.
mixing pop, hip-hop and R&B genres.