REVIEW: Fancy by Iggy Azalea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-zpOMYRi0w



From looking at my 10 Worst Hit Songs Of 2013 List, you'd probably make the assumption that I despise brag rap. You'd actually be wrong. I despise brag rap when it's done incorrectly. In order for a brag rap to be properly executed, it has to have a beat that's strong and engaging without grating on the listener's nerves, clever wordplay, a string of good rhymes, and a lot of charisma from the artists on the song. If even one of those things is out of place, it could place the whole song in jeopardy of being terrible. Unfortunately, the brag raps from the past few years that got popular have been nothing but absolute garbage. Seriously, who can really say they genuinely enjoy songs like I'm On One by DJ Khaled, The Motto by Drake & Lil Wayne, Drank In My Cup by Kirko Bangz, Back In Time by Pitbull, or any limp song like them? This brings us to the song we'll be discussing: Fancy. How does it hold up?

Well, surprisingly well if you ask me. Why is it that I say that? Well, let's find out.

To start, there's the beat & Iggy and Charli themselves. A lot of people have compared this song to Rack City by Tyga, but that comparison's actually pretty unfair if you think about it. Both beats are incredibly simple, yes, but the beat to Fancy is more upfront with a lot of force and presence coupled with hi hats and gang vocals that really lend the song a lot to work with. The beat to Rack City, on the other hand, is dull, muddy, flat, and extremely lifeless to the point where not even the gang vocals help. Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX bring a lot of energy and flavor to Fancy whereas Tyga sounds like he's narcoleptic. Also, a lot have said that the beat isn't strong enough to hold up Charli's strong voice, but honestly I find this beat to be really flexible and able to conform to her strong voice, so it really works for me. So yeah, it's a check in those areas.

Next are the rhymes and the wordplay. Not really much to say here. They're really clever and well strung together. Iggy's been in the rap game for quite some time now and really commands the respect she deserves, and I think she really does a good job of it, so she has mine. There's one lyric, though, that everyone really takes issue with, and that's when Charli XCX says she's in the fast lane from LA to Tokyo, pointing out that the two are not connected. Well, duh, anyone with an understanding of basic geography would be able to figure that out. All she really means is that she's on her way to being well known worldwide. People are really overthinking that line.

Overall, this song is amazing. The things that Iggy and Charli list might not be fancy, but hey, what're ya gonna do? Not a great song, but definitely one that I do think is really good. I give this a 4 out of 5, and I really hope to hear more from both Iggy and Charli in the future.

REVIEW: Boom Clap by Charli XCX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOPMlIIg_38&feature=kp


I'm not a big movie person, and I haven't seen The Fault In Our Stars, but from what I've heard and seen, it looks pretty good and worth checking out. That said, the one thing I feared was that the lead single of the soundtrack to this movie would be a schmaltzy, cheesy, boring love song that wouldn't be all that good. Did that happen? Well, kind of. Here's what I mean by that, it's got cheesy elements, but it's actually very bombastic and has a good amount of energy behind it. And who's the mastermind that brought us such an amazing hit? Why, it's nothing more than Charli XCX.

Now, Charli XCX is what I like to call "Dev if she was any good." The reason I say this is because the two songs that Dev was tied to that got popular (Like A G6 by Far East Movement & Backseat by New Boyz) absolutely sucked. She was easily the best part of each song, but given how monotone and flat she was, I knew she couldn't carry a song on her own, and that was affirmed when In The Dark came out in 2011. The two songs Charli XCX has been featured on (I Love It by Icona Pop & Fancy by Iggy Azalea), on the other hand, are arguably extremely awesome. She has a lot of flavor and energy behind her voice (even if they are covered in effects and autotune) and really knows how to bring a lot to a song in order to liven it up. One question, however, still remained. Could she carry a song on her own? Well, in the case of this song, I'd say she did remarkably well.

Charli really knows how to make a song really upbeat while keeping the initial emotion in tact, and it shows here. She tones it down for the verses yet gives the chorus her all, and that really works in her favor. The lyrics are really sweet in the way that she describes this guy without being battered down with very many (if any at all) cliches, and as mentioned before, the production is lively and energetic while keeping the lovey-dovey mood in tact.

I do have one major complaint, however, and that would be that the song seems to be pretty unfinished. Seriously, the chorus is admittedly amazingly catchy, but it takes up the majority of the song. The verses are incredibly short and really don't give Charli the ability to show off how good her lyricism can really be, and I really wanted to see more than we got.

While it does knock the song down a few pegs, it's still a minor hindrance and doesn't prevent me from enjoying the song as much as I do. I give the song a 3.5 out of 5, and I really hope we hear more from Charli XCX in the future.