The New Classic
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, alongside Virgin EMI Records. The album was produced by FKi 1st, The Invisible Men, The Messengers, and Stargate, alongside others. Co-producers Watch the Duck and musicians such as T.I., Charli XCX, Rita Ora, Mavado, and Wiley provided vocal features on the project. The album was recorded from 2012 to 2013 in numerous studios across the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and is her first overall project since her second mixtape TrapGold. Primarily a hip-hop and pop, album, The New Classic also features elements of EDM, dance-pop and trap in its production.
The album produced five singles in total. "Work", "Bounce", and "Change Your Life" were released as the first three singles all of which attained commercial success on charts worldwide. The fourth single "Fancy" featuring British singer-songwriter Charli XCX was an international success, reaching the top five in Australia and the United Kingdom, and peaking at number one in New Zealand, the United States and Canada. The fifth single, "Black Widow" featuring British singer Rita Ora peaked at number 4 in the United Kingdom. It became Azalea's highest-charting single as a lead artist on that chart, and also peaked at number 3 in the United States, while receiving mixed reviews from music critics. A promotional single was also released for the album, "Impossible Is Nothing".
The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 52,000 copies in the United States. The New Classic was the highest-charting female rap album since Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded and the highest chart entry for a female rapper's debut album since Minaj's Pink Friday entered at number two. The album also moved up to number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums, making Azalea the first non-American female rapper to reach the summit of these charts.
The New Classic won the Breakthrough Artist Release at the ARIA Music Awards of 2014 and Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at the 2014 American Music Awards. The album also garnered Azalea four Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Fancy" and Best Rap Album at the 57th Grammy Awards. The New Classic was later reissued in a repackaged version, titled Reclassified, which featured the singles "Beg for It" and "Trouble", alongside the promotional single "Iggy SZN". To promote the album, Azalea embarked on her first headlining concert tour, entitled The New Classic Tour. The Great Escape Tour was planned for Reclassified, but it was soon cancelled.
In August 2014, the album was certified Gold in Canada and in November 2014, it was also certified gold in Australia. In April 2016, it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album was named the second most-streamed album of the year overall in the US, third in the UK and globally on commercial music streaming service Spotify in 2014. On the 2nd of February, 2015, it received a Platinum award from Universal Music Colombia. The ''New Classic also received a Platinum award from Universal Music Brazil, along with its repack Reclassified'', on the 8th of November, 2015.
Background
After releasing her first full-length project, a mixtape Ignorant Art and a music video for a song titled "Pu$$y" that went viral, Iggy Azalea found prominence in the music industry and went on to become both the first female and first non-American rapper selected for hip hop magazine XXL annual Top 10 Freshman cover issue. The major attention led to negotiations for a record deal with Interscope Records. In December 2011, in an interview, Azalea revealed her debut album's title to be The New Classic and that she had hopes of releasing it in the first quarter of 2012. She also stated she would be signing to a major record label "soon and once that's sorted out and I establish an over all sound and direction for the album, I will be able to know what artists would make for a dynamic collaboration". Azalea later explained the concept behind her debut album's title: "I think people think of classic and they think of a Nas record or a Jay Z record or The Chronic, what makes something classic is when you hear it and you have that moment that is a time capsule. When I say 'The New Classic,' I just want to make records that give you that moment for fans that they can remember where they were when they heard it."In January 2012, Azalea announced via Twitter, that she had struck a deal with Jimmy Iovine resulting in her being signed to Interscope Records. Azalea went on to state: "Interscope, if you were wondering Get used to me + jimmy smashing , cause thats the plan". However, in the following weeks she announced to MTV News, that American rapper T.I. had contacted her in relation to working with her as an executive producer of her upcoming album, although T.I. later stated it was Azalea who had asked him to be part of the record. Both T.I. and Azalea discussed their encounter to MTV News, in which Azalea claimed that he reached out to work with her, and she "found a position for him", T.I. recalled their first conversation in which she told him "it's very smart of you to call me because I'm going to be smashing shit for quite some time". In March 2012, T.I. announced he signed Iggy Azalea to Grand Hustle Records. In May 2012, it was confirmed by T.I., on MTV's HipHopPov, that Azalea had not yet secured distribution for her deal with Grand Hustle Records, and was described by T.I. as a "free agent". It was later revealed in the interview that she was in negotiations with labels other than Interscope and possibly Def Jam. In an interview with Interview magazine, Azalea clarified her move from Interscope Records to Grand Hustle Records, she called the signing "very impersonal" feeling that she "was a product" and after meeting T.I. she felt that he cared and understood her as a rap artist rather than her commercial viability. Azalea worried that if she was to make a mistake with her career that Interscope Records would not support her, and she felt that being signed to the label was for commercial reasons rather than artistic.
On 13 February 2013, it was announced Azalea had signed a record deal with Mercury Records. Despite announcing she was part of T.I.'s Grand Hustle imprint, it was then confirmed that she had signed a deal with Island Def Jam Music Group, she announced via Twitter: "Hey world. I signed to island def jam. Iam now mercury UK/ island def jam USA awesome!!!!". It was then stated that her deal with Interscope was never finalized and that she was only affiliated with Grand Hustle Records, and Azalea clarified her affiliation with the label saying: "That doesn't mean I'm not in Hustle Gang. Save it. Still in it. Still on the hustle gang album. Friendship doesn't require contracts". Chris Anokute, a senior vice president of Island Def Jam, later welcomed her to the record label tweeting: "Congrats Iggy. You have a voice that needs to be heard. We got your back". In an interview with Blare magazine, Azalea explained that Island Def Jam made her feel more confident as a musician, and she felt less pressure from them as a company.
Recording and production
In an interview with 16Bars.TV, Azalea revealed that although she is still signed to T.I.'s Grand Hustle imprint, he would no longer be executive producer of her debut album: "He's actually not, anymore," Azalea said when asked about T.I.'s role. "He was going to be, but originally...all the records that I had on Glory were supposed to be on The New Classic, and he executive produced what ended up being Glory." Azalea said that artistically, both she and T.I. agreed that she needed to go in a different direction with her debut: "As I was making it, I felt like, 'This isn't The New Classic; this is something else. It's not the right sound.' Not that it sounded bad, but it wasn't what The New Classic is in my head. And he executive produced that, and that went good, it was an experience, but after, he said and I said, it's better if I just make my own music away because sometimes being around him, it influences the music I make to be a bit too much of a different sound, and so for that reason he's not going to be . But not because I don't love him, because I love him." Azalea also said she would be working with producers such as Diplo, Steve Aoki and Flosstradamus on the album, which she said she began working with earlier in December.In February 2012, Azalea premiered a song titled "Picture Me Rollin", performing it in Los Angeles in Dim Mak Studio. The song, which was set to be included on the album, was produced by Canadian record producer Boi-1da. In April 2012, Azalea revealed she had collaborated with R&B singer Trey Songz: "I did do a song with Trey Songz that's kind of unexpected," she told The Boombox. "The beat, and the way he sings, it's kind of different his regular style. I'm going to put that out, probably before the album." The album, which at the time set to be an Interscope Records release, would represent her different sides: "Some stuff is very base-driven, stripped down, more southern-sounding. Then other stuff is more mood and closer to my ignorant ," shared Azalea. "I kind of like have two different zones. It's ratchet, then introspective, I guess. Those are the two sounds, and I'm trying to glue all the things together, and find things that will make it cohesive."
In 2012, Azalea later mentioned the collaborations with Cee-Lo Green and Pusha T, would probably make it to the album's final track list. She had also revealed hopes of a collaboration with Missy Elliott, stating: "working with her is definitely something that I'm going to try to do before I put The New Classic out." Natalie Sims, whom Azalea had worked with in Atlanta before relocating to Los Angeles, abandoned the last four stops on a tour and flew over to Wales in December to help record the album. Sims co-wrote the songs "Work", "Change Your Life", "Bounce", "Just Askin'", and "New Bitch". Also in December, via her Twitter feed, Azalea revealed she would be remaking a song titled "Home Town Hatred", for the album. Azalea also confirmed Tyga and Rita Ora, as possible features that will be included on the album. On 13 March 2013, after she released the music video for the lead single "Work", it was reported Azalea was working on her debut album in the United Kingdom.