When Iggy Azalea released her long-awaited second studio album, she was probably hoping it would have been received better by music critics.
The album, In My Defense , was Azalea’s first release on her own label, Bad Dreams, and it debuted worldwide on July 19. The album consists of 12 new songs and collaborations with Lil Yachty, Kash Doll, Stini, and Juicy J.
Unfortunately, the record received generally unfavorable reviews and has a Metascore of 39 out of 100 on Metacritic .
In a negative Pitchfork review, the publication believes her ad-libs sound like direct imitations of the rappers she admires.
“The album is stacked with cartoonish approximations of what she thinks a rap song should sound like: shivers of bass, the occasional ‘skrrrt,’ Mad Libs of designer brands and bodily fluids,” they wrote.
AllMusic wasn’t feeling the record, either, believing that Azalea hasn’t grown much as an artist.
“After a half-decade of life lessons, Azalea could have gone in a certain cathartic and mature direction. However, on In My Defense, she opted for a less gracious and, ultimately, exhausted route.”
HipHopDX gave the album a mixed review and stated their disappointment.
“Nobody expected Azalea to come back super talented and with an entirely new shtick. Nonetheless, ‘In My Defense’ could have been a tad bit more introspective or at the very least, fun,” they explained.
Clash Music also gave it a mixed review, mentioning that Iggy has suffered from the sophomore slump and that the collaborations look good on paper but do nothing for the songs.
Despite negative reviews from critics, her fans seem to be loving it. So far, the Metacritic site has 101 positive reviews from users and only six negative ones.
The album didn’t match the commercial success of her debut album, The New Classic , but did chart in a number of countries. In Australia, the album debuted at No. 52, while reaching No. 50 in the U.S.
The lead single, “Sally Walker,” peaked at No. 56 in Australia, No. 62 in the U.S., No. 70 in Ireland, and No. 82 in the U.K., while the second single, “Started,” reached No. 73 in Ireland and No. 76 in the U.K.
Iggy’s debut album peaked at No. 2 in Australia, No. 3 in the U.S. and No. 5 in the U.K., and received more positive reviews. It has a score of 56 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 26 reviews.
On Spotify, Azalea has over 8.3 million monthly listeners, making her the 412th most played act in the world.
To keep up with what Iggy is up to, follow her Instagram account which boasts over 13.3 million followers.
