Female rapper touts entire package

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not musically inclined whatsoever.

I can’t sing, I can’t play an instrument and I’ve never possessed the patience to learn. Fortunately, this allows me to enjoy music at its most menial levels.

Never mind the inner emotions of Beethoven and Bach or the elation a rock star experiences while crowd surfing a sold-out venue — if a song has a catchy tune, I’ll probably listen to it. Worse, I’ll listen to the catchy song until I exhaust it.

Such was the case for Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” Paula Abdul’s “Cold-Hearted Snake” and my grandma’s entire ABBA collection. My grandma babysat me a lot.

More recently, however, I’ve been preoccupied with why people are so up in arms about Iggy Azalea, an Australian songstress who’s decorated the Billboard charts all summer with hits such as “Fancy” and “Black Widow,” while also appearing as a featured artist on several other songs, including Ariana Grande’s “Problem” and fellow rapper T.I.’s “No Medicore.”

After her music videos went viral on YouTube in late 2011, Azalea became a household name in regards to female rappers.

Azalea’s been widely received as an exceptional performer while boasting both lyrical prowess and sex appeal, but some critics argue she’s all bark and no bite, as she speaks in her native Australian accent but raps in an American one.

Personally, I find the rapper refreshing. Most of her songs are catchy — my favorite genre of music — and she’d likely warrant an A in English class, which makes her a commendable rapper, in my opinion.

Plus, standing at 5’10”, she’s just as tall as her male counterparts in the rap game — and 10 times prettier.

And though Azalea isn’t afraid to show a little skin, she ensures listeners she’s a force to be reckoned with:

“I’m sorry, club promoter, let’s put this in the past — it’s just that girl kept on staring, so I had to whoop that ass,” raps Azalea on Steve Aoki’s club hit “Beat Down.”

Even if I wanted to dislike Azalea, her two most recent videos for songs “Fancy” and “Black Widow” allude to cult films “Clueless” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” — two of my favorite movies.

Now, combine Azalea’s smarts, stunning looks and spitfire tongue — and a few Billboard chart-toppers — and you’ve got a performer who can compete for years to come.

Rating: A

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