By Carter Maness
Iggy Azalea, a buzzed-about 22-year-old rapper who has transplanted from Australia, is poised to set 2012 ablaze with the upcoming reissue of her breakthrough mixtape, Ignorant Art, and a forthcoming debut album on T.I.'s Grand Hustle imprint, entitled The New Classic.
After attracting industry and Internet attention with the poppy, rapidfire raunch of early singles like "P---y" and "My World," Azalea was signed by storied record executive and Interscope Chairman Jimmy Iovine in January 2012. Two months later, she restructured her deal and joined-up with ATL legend T.I. and his Grand Hustle imprint for guidance and executive producing on her debut album.
She's taking her time crafting a debut that she hopes will be worthy of such a lofty title. "It's finding the production and finding something cohesive that's right for the direction of the album," she told MTV News back in March. "You just never know when you're gonna have that magic."
Expectations are high. Through fan voting, Azalea was the first female ever to be named to XXL's vaunted Freshmen Class list, and it furthered some beef with fellow up-and-comer Azealia Banks. "[Banks] wasn't the only one who felt funny about it," she said. "It was a trending topic people felt so funny about it."
For now, though, it's all about getting Ignorant Art out to a new audience and completing The New Classic with T.I., which is tentatively scheduled to drop later this summer.
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