New Classic

Recording information: Conway Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Freedom Ville, Atlanta, GA; Grove Studios, London; Jungle City Studios, NY; Monnow Valley Studios, Wales; Nightbird Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA; WEstlake Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Young Boss Vuitton Studio, Miami, FL.
Australian rapper Iggy Azalea's rise to Island Records/Hustle Gang status was quite strange, seeing as how she was a high fashion model gone Dirty South, like some kind of Down Under mix of Lana Del Rey and Trina. Dating A$AP Rocky meant she had her rap game proper, and it was all the more tantalizing when her privileged party anthems landed some whip smart punch lines, but two tracks into The New Classic, "Don't Need Y'all" takes her from detached to jaded, making this debut album one icy cold coming-out party. By the album-closing "F**K Love," her snarled declaration "I'm already in love with myself" is a redundant credo of epic proportions, but get past the narrow "me me me" theme of the album and it's amazing how "live" it all feels. Chalk it up to cutting-edge taste as trapstep group Watch the Duck turn the cut "100" into something blog-worthy, while a Mavado appearance and an electro-dancehall production from the Invisible Men and the Arcade make "Lady Patra" the highlight to pick for Mad Decent or Diplo fans. Put the tried and true singalong "Change Your Life" with T.I. on the track list, along with the traptastic "Fancy" featuring Charli XCX, and The New Classic features some memorable moments that mash fashion, sass, high tax bracket mackin', and flashy beats. ~ David Jeffries