S. Samuel
Grand Hustle affiliate Iggy Azalea has officially joined forces with Def Jam, the same powerhouse that's home to Nas, Rick Ross, Trinidad James and Kanye West.
Rather than put out an official statement, Iggy broke the news via her Twitter page.
“Hey world. I signed to island def jam. Iam now mercury UK/ island def jam USA awesome!!!!,” she tweeted April 23rd.
“No. That doesn’t mean I’m no in hustle gang. Save it. Still in it. Still on the hustle gang album. Friendship doesn’t require contracts.”
“If this confuses you, you are welcome to read the press release on billboard later today. ?” (Iggy Azalea’s Twitter)
Last May, Azalea confirmed she did not have a secured record deal in place.
“I wasn’t dropped by Interscope,” Iggy told XXL moments after her performance in front of a sold-out crowd at SOBs in New York City on Thursday night (May 7). “I’m still managed by [Interscope], but when T.I. came on board and it became a Grand Hustle thing. We were working on restructuring and we worked down to the final deal. There’s things that change when other people get involved. For me, I choose my involvement with Tip because that’s my family over other things, so I’m thankful that I have him and he can kinda get me out of that situation; now it’s just strictly Grand Hustle.” (XXL Mag)
Grand Hustle head T.I. initially broke the news of Iggy’s Interscope deal falling through in mid-2012.
Iggy Azalea announced that she had signed a deal with Interscope Records earlier this year, but it may have been premature. According to her Grand Hustle boss T.I., the Aussie rapper is still unsigned. “Iggy is a free agent,” Tip told Bu Thiam, VP of A&R at Def Jam, on “MTV’s Hip Hop POV.” The blonde bombshell had touted a deal with Interscope and a summer release for her debut album The New Classic. “Interscope, if you were wondering,” she tweeted in January. “Get used to me + jimmy [iovine] smashing sh*t, cause thats the plan.” According to sources, a deal was never actually in place. However, she did release the T.I.-assisted “Murda Bizness,” which was billed as the lead single off the album. The Hustle Gang member is currently in talks with other labels including Def Jam. Her EP Glory is due this month. (Rap-Up)
Earlier this year, Iggy declared her love for Tip but admitted they do not always see eye-to-eye.
“I don’t listen to T.I. … sorry Tip. I love him to death. It’s kind of like a friendship. I rarely ask for his opinion, but if I do and he gives it to me, I consider it but I don’t always go with it,” Iggy said in an interview. “Most of the time I pass it in the wind. Sometimes he says ‘I told you so’ and sometimes he says ‘I was wrong’ and bows down. I kind of do my own thing. I love Grand Hustle and everybody, but you don’t really see me with them a lot. And that’s not because I don’t love them to death it’s just that I’ve always been a bit of the lone ranger.” (Hip Hop Hollywood)
