Once one of the Billboard charts’ familiar hitmakers, Iggy Azalea has returned to the Hot 100 again after a two year absence.
Four years after claiming the coveted Song Of The Summer title from Billboard, and two years since her last Hot 100 chart appearance, the rapper returns to the all-genre singles chart this week at No. 96 with “Kream.” Boasting a guest appearance by Tyga, the Wu-Tang sampling track serves as the lead single for her Survive the Summer EP, due out via Island Records next month.
Azalea first signed with the Universal Music Group in 2013, back when Island Def Jam Group was still a thing. A 2014 reorganization broke that cluster up into a handful of distinct labels, putting her squarely in the Def Jam Records camp just in time for her debut album The New Classic. Fueled by hit singles “Fancy” and “Work,” the full-length reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and earned RIAA platinum certification two years later. Mere months after The New Classic‘s initial release, Def Jam strategically repackaged the release into Reclassified, shaking up the track listing and adding five additional songs including “Beg For It” and “Trouble,” new singles that went platinum and gold respectively.
From there, however, Azalea’s career encountered significant stumbling blocks and controversies, including problematic unearthed tweets that only amplified the accusations of appropriation that dogged her during her come-up. That goodwill shortfall coincided with delay after delay for her proper sophomore follow-up, ostensibly titled Digital Distortion.
Distinct attempts to launch the album release cycle came and went, as evidenced by relatively soft responses to singles like “Mo Bounce” and “Switch.” By mid-2017, she resorted to publicly calling out Def Jam’s then-CEO Steve Bartels for holding her back. Not long thereafter, UMG transferred Azalea to Island Records, a move that appears to have been essential to her 2018 efforts.
So far, so good. The early gains for “Kream” appears largely attributable to paid digital downloads, arguably a function of Azalea’s highly engaged fanbase. It debuts at No. 11 this week on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales and No. 41 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart. While “Kream” has yet to move the needle on streaming platforms enough to impact those charts, Island reportedly has a radio push in the works.
Still, those heralding this as a comeback for Azalea may want to curb their enthusiasm, at least for another few weeks. “Kream” could depart the Hot 100 as quickly as it arrived, even with radio support. Her fans will likely recall the early successes of “Team,” a 2016 single that reached No. 41 on the Hot 100, yet somehow didn’t prompt her album’s release. “Savior,” a standalone single with a feature from Migos rapper Quavo, made it all the way to No. 7 on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales following its release this past February, ultimately falling short of the Hot 100.
Again, the key difference now may very well come from the aforementioned shift to Island, a brand less subject to hip-hop’s scrutiny than the legendary Def Jam. The conditions for an Iggy Azalea comeback seem to be there, and that endeavor is certainly not harmed by Tyga’s own chart resurgence. His latest single “Taste” cracks the Hot 100’s top 20 this week, reaching a new peak at No. 18. ()
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