Last night's American Music Awards belonged to Iggy Azalea. Not only did the Aussie rapper take the stage twice — first to perform her singles "Fancy" and "Beg For It," and then to close out the show with the J.Lo-assisted "Booty" — but she also took home a couple of awards. The 24-year-old won best rap artist and best rap/hip-hop album for her blockbuster debut The New Classic.
But, what made Azalea's wins so monumental was that she took down a couple of rap titans to get them. One in particular must have felt especially sweet. Azalea topped Drake and Eminem in both categories, an achievement that was not lost on her.
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"It means so much that I can stand here against Eminem and Drake and come out with this," an emotional Azalea told the Nokia Theatre audience.
If you'll recall, Eminem lashed out at Azalea in his leaked song "Vegas," in which his typically misogynist lyrics were aimed squarely at her. "Put that shit away, Iggy. You don’t wanna blow that rape whistle on me,” he raps in the song.
The slight didn't fall on deaf ears, as Azalea shot back on social media last week. "I'm bored of the old men threatening young women as entertainment trend and much more interested in the young women getting $ trend," she tweeted.
"Its especially akward because my 14 year old brother is the biggest eminem fan and now the artist he admired says he wants to rape me. nice!" she added.
Azalea made no real allusion to the feud, choosing instead to focus on her own journey. "This award is the first award I've ever won in my entire life, and [it] means so much to me that it is for best hip-hop, because that's what inspired me to move to America and pursue my dreams," she said. "It's what helped me when I was a teenager to escape and to get through my life and to better times." (People)