Following a four-year hiatus, Grammy-nominated rapper Iggy Azalea returns with ‘Survive the Summer,’ a six-song EP full of cocky, confident bangers.

Iggy Azalea has been on the struggle bus since breaking through with her 2014 studio album, The New Classic.  That year, she had an infectious no. 1 hit on her hands with “Fancy”, featuring Charli XCX.  She also experienced great success with “Black Widow”, featuring Rita Ora.  Since then, however, things have been subpar for the 28-year old Australian rapper, who didn’t get much traction with singles “Team”, “Mo Bounce”, or “Savior”, featuring Quavo.  Despite the hard times, she seems committed to returning to music, and does so respectably on her 15-minute EP, Survive the Summer (EP). No Iggy won’t “Change Your Life” as once did on The New Classic, but, Survive the Summer (EP) is a start at a comeback.

“Survive the Summer”

“…Rich b*tches don’t die and that’s why you won’t survive the summer!” “Survive the Summer” commences with a bang, thanks to the Alejandra Hernandez intro, as well as aggressive, ‘trappy,’ minor-key production. Basically, Iggy Azalea can’t be stopped – she makes that clear as she brags about money and her clout.  Effective, but not earth-shattering. 

“Pinocchio nose drip, Tokyo snow trip / Wake up in Mexico, buenas noches.” On the brief “Tokyo Snow Trip”, Iggy focuses on drugs (“My dope, the dopest / Fall asleep with the stove lit”) and money (“Hush money in the sofa” and “Came, came in a Benz, not a Focus”).  “Tokyo Snow Trip” features hard-nosed minimal, skeletal production work with a sound clearly intended for the club. She performs this with a whispered approach at times, admittedly reminiscing back to the Ying Yang Twins’ classic, “Wait (The Whisper Song)”.  Beyond the unorthodox vocal approach, the form is also unorthodox, lacking any verses. “Tokyo Snow Trip,” hence, is built on the bridge, pre-chorus, chorus, and post-chorus.  Ultimately, “Tokyo Snow Trip” is interesting, but devoid of substance – other than the drugs of course.

“Kream”

“Ass / Cash, cash / Ass, bags / Bad / ‘Cash rules everything around me’.” “Kream”, featuring Tyga focuses on two things: ass and money. From the beginning, it’s clear that Iggy Azalea and Tyga both have the strip club in mind. The production sounds readymade for an ‘adult club,’ while the content matches that sentiment.  Following the intro, the hook is repetitive, gimmicky, centered around the classic Wu-Tang lyric from “C.R.E.A.M.”.  On the first verse, Iggy amplifies the toughness, exhibiting confidence while dropping pop culture references (Sex Pistols, Bella Hadid), sex, and money.  As for Tyga, he is in his zone, spitting filth (“Deep in that p**sy, ya I’m drowning) and bragging about money and status (“My n*ggas like Golden State, inbound, pull up and shoot”). “Kream” is respectable for what it is – a banger.  Beyond that, cliché.

Iggy Azalea continues to exude confidence on “Hey Iggy,” which isn’t the first song of her career to sport her name (see “Iggy SZN” from Reclassified).  Like the majority of Survive the Summer, she raps over a mean-sounding backdrop – hard-nosed beat, synths, and a minor key. There’s nothing ‘brand-new’ – just more flexing. 

“Kawasaki”

“They tellin’ me be humble but they know I’m cocky / Let me feel myself, yeah, daddy know I’m cocky.” “Kawasaki” features some of the best minimalist production of the EP.  That’s saying considering gems “Tokyo Snow Trip” and “Kream” arrive prior to the penultimate number.  Keeping the club in mind, Iggy Azalea is on autopilot from the start, dropping biting, IDGAF rhymes. Names she drops include Ronda Rousey, Barry Sanders, Gotti. Maybe more notably, is how she wants to “ride him like a Kawasaki.”  Hmm, wonder what that’s about…

The lux and money that dominate the 15-minute EP continue on closer “OMG” featuring Wiz Khalifa. Naturally, Wiz brings some ‘high-flying’ weed action on the second verse, not to mention rapping about sex as well.  Interestingly, Alejandra Hernandez closes things out: “Oh my God Biggest b*tch ever!”

Final Thoughts 

So, Iggy Azalea finally dropped a new project.  That’s a victory for the rapper in itself.  Is it enough to return her to the top echelon of the female rap game like she was in 2014? Probably not, but, this project shows proves that Iggy has the talent to hang with the competition.  The next steps for Iggy is to expand the themes and subject matter of her songs. Clout, money, and sex work for her, but going ‘above and beyond’ could help her to ascend to the next level.

Gems: “Tokyo Snow Trip,” “Kream” & “Kawasaki”

Iggy Azalea • Survive the Summer – EP • Island • Release: 8.3.18

Photo Credit: Island