Erykah Badu Throws Shade at Iggy Azalea During 2015 Soul Train Awards

Singer-songwriter pokes fun at "Fancy" rapper's music

By Francesca Bacardi Nov 30, 2015 1:59 PMTags
Iggy Azalea, Erykah BaduJB Lacroix/Getty Images

While hosting the 2015 Soul Train Awards Sunday, Erykah Badu left no stone unturned.

The singer-songwriter arrived via hoverboard and immediately launched into a monologue that poked fun at the fact that rap music has to be excluded from the awards show, which honors R&B music. While addressing the crowd, the "Next Lifetime" songstress made light of her own rapping ability, calling herself the "queen."

"As you know, I am the queen of neo soul and people say I have this common effect on rappers: that I make them change gods and wear crochet hats, shoulder pads," 44-year-old Badu said. "So they have banned me from all of the hip-hop awards with a sign saying 'Erykah Badu, leave our rappers alone.'"

But Badu continued to take her joke one step further when she decided to make fake phone calls and pretend to invite certain artists. One of her "phone calls" was to Iggy Azalea. "Uh yes? Who is this? Iggy Azalea?" she said. "Yeah, hey. Oh, no, no, no, no, you can come, 'cause what you doin' is definitely not rap."

The Australian entertainer hasn't responded to Badu's joke.

Azalea has had a tumultuous year, facing backlash and drama for some social media comments that were perceived as homophobic and racist and losing her working relationship with rapper T.I., who publicly called it quits with her on a radio show. Despite putting a stop to their work, T.I. continued to defend the "Black Widow" rapper.

"I ain't gonna make no excuses," he told the hosts of New York's Hot 97 Ebro in the Morning in September of the Aussie rapper. "In her defense, she had a lot thrown at her at one time. Any human being anywhere [is gonna] have a hard time adjusting."

He continued, "It's very difficult to be the new kid and to be the butt of the jokes...It came at a time when culturally in this nation—when she's not from here—we were actually looking for a source to place that pent-up aggression. Some stuff they brought upon themselves. In some cases, it kind of was the easiest place to put some pent-up aggression."

So what did the "Fancy" rapper have to say upon hearing T.I.'s interview? Watch to find out!