The question of authenticity may seem antiquated in an era of hip-hop where Rick Ross can go from corrections officer to faux drug kingpin, but it can’t be dismissed when talking about appropriation. White media making black culture cool while disregarding the people from whence the culture came is fairly old news, but in this media age there are ways to make dissident voices heard. There is an important difference between portraying a fictional character and appropriating cultural stereotypes. It’s not just that Iggy isn’t being herself—it’s that she’s attempting to be “black.” In her own interview with Power 106 last week, Azalea discussed her Grammy nomination and the fact that people seemed happy that Eminem won Rap Album of the Year over her—despite the fact that he’s as white as she is.
“I found it to be kind of ironic,” she said. “It was because I’m white, therefore I’m appropriating culture. But then Eminem won it—who’s white and won it many times—and they didn’t seem to say anything about that.”
