These days, fans of hip-hop feel a division as to what is considered rap music. One of the main focal points in the debate is rapper Iggy Azalea.
\nAn Australian native, Azalea raps with a Brooklyn accent, which some find off-putting when they hear her actual accent. Most of the criticism toward her, however, stems from the argument that Azalea misappropriates rap music and its origins.
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\nAccording to GlobalBlackness.com, the roots of hip-hop come from New York\u2019s undergrounds, community centers and parks in the mid-to-late 70s. It was a way for the youth living in impoverished neighborhoods to express themselves and escape their surroundings.
\nDisc jockeys began mixing older records together while youths break-danced. The members of the community had slang battles, which progressed into rap battles.
\nBy 1979, hip-hop had become well known enough to have the first rap album produced, \u201cRappers Delight\u201d by the Sugarhill Gang, a group from Harlem.
\nCut to thirty plus years, and it is evident that hip-hop has changed a lot since its beginnings. From its origins to the eras of \u201cgangsta rap\u201d and \u201cswagger rap,\u201d hip-hop is still seen as a property owned predominately by African Americans for self-expression.
\nTimes have changed, and while people of different races have been able to cross into the hip-hop audience, like Eminem, none have caused such differences of opinion like Azalea.
\nSome felt that Azalea\u2019s win for best hip-hop album at the 2014 Grammy\u2019s was unjust and that corporations are beginning to have more influence on the music genre than the people and listeners.
\nSpecifically, rap artist Azalea Banks has had an ongoing dispute with Iggy, saying that the artist doesn\u2019t appreciate where hip-hop comes from and what it represents.
\nIn a Dec. 18 interview with Hot 97 radio, Banks said that Azalea is slowly smudging out black music. Banks told the interviewer that Caucasian children are capable of anything while African American children can\u2019t even own something that was created by them.
\nThough Azalea has her detractors, some artists have stood by her, like rapper T.I., who produced Azalea\u2019s album. He has said that Banks is just jealous of Azalea\u2019s success because she has mostly stayed underground.
\nYet, other artists have offered a simple solution to the Azalea problem. Rapper Lupe Fiasco said, \u201cIf people don\u2019t like her music, simply don\u2019t buy it.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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