Apologies for the track skipping, this is the clean version. Also the imagery I’m describing is from the original video, but it could’ve been more appropriate for viewing than it was. I’ll explain that in the blog!
In this underlying reason for “Work”, rapper Iggy Azalea notes the many struggles we experience to gain a better standard for our life. Whether it be the difficulty in first getting a worthy enough job, or the physical work itself, she explains how she came as immigrant from Australia. Iggy talks about how difficult moving can be, with or without family. This song touches on memories that not only parallel as snapshots from her life, but also connect to how challenging our endeavors can be, given anyone’s set of circumstances. “Three jobs took years to save, but I gotta ticket on that plane, people got a lot to say but don't know how many floors I had to scrub just to get to here where I ain't from." While still famous, Iggy is elaborating on her journey and identifying with viewers that she is not a favorite icon of everyone. “I been up all night tryna get that rich, I’ve been work work work workin.” In this chorus there is a constant beat, which shows the excessive repetition, possibly reminding us of our 9am-5pm jobs, or all nighter homework loads. We become more than accustomed to our daily routines, that we experience this same “back to the grind," concept day in and day out. From this she is meaning that in the end, our hard work will pay off and we can accomplish our dreams.
There is visual irony in this video as well as the lyrics that show the contrast of Iggy’s portrayal of her new self compared with her old self. Her clothing is vibrant, differing from the dull colored clothing of the actors portraying her family, and possible rape perpetrator. “Robbed Blind basically raped me” Iggy Azalea deliberately wears immodest clothing while rapping about the jobs today that cultivate the “sex symbol,” representing the industries that promote selling your body. Explaining herself as one of the icons in media that have been used for this ulterior motive, “the industry took my innocence,” she connects with how the fast-lane lives of celebrities can become corrupt. As the sound plays on, imagery of her home is burning, as she walks away from it, and this is representing her anger and closure of leaving her old life behind. This dream of hers could not be physically touched, but could still be attained as a recording artist.
I agree that we all work to achieve a higher standard of living and how difficult the journey can be to not lose ourselves. Iggy Azalea uses harsh language but reminds us we work for deeper purposes in life rather than the physical objects like a house, and fancy car. In evaluation of her lyrics, I think it's personable of her too reveal dark experiences from her past because it makes her seem more human to us, than the glamour lives we see on T.V. I feel that we work for consistency, and to feel principled for what we do, to achieve our goals, as ethics are important to me. I agree with the “Pledge allegiance to struggle,” because we should remember our biggest struggles can lead us to our biggest victories.
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