Iggy Azalea – "In My Defense" Review: Five Years Later, Still No Defense

Quick Verdict

In My Defense arrives five years after The New Classic — an album we already reviewed on this list, rating it 3/10 for the exact same reasons we are giving its sequel a 2/10. In five years of public controversy, breakups, label departures, a shelved second album (Digital Distortion), a failed EP, and what was clearly a deeply difficult period personally and professionally, Iggy Azalea assembled enough material to release a second album. Metacritic scored it 39. Pitchfork described it as stacked with cartoonish approximations of what she thinks a rap song should sound like — shivers of bass, the occasional skrrrt, Mad Libs of designer brands and bodily fluids. AllMusic said she continues bragging, boasting, and fronting without any depth or sounding pleasure. The title claims a defense. The album proves the prosecution's case. Rating: 2/10.

At a Glance

Album Details

Context: Five Years, One Shelved Album, and a Defense Nobody Asked For

The New Classic arrived in 2014 with Fancy and Black Widow — two legitimate commercial smashes — and an album we rated 3/10 for being structurally incoherent and artistically thin beyond its singles. The five years between that album and In My Defense were defined by a series of institutional failures: Digital Distortion was announced in 2016 and shelved entirely in 2017 after her split from fiancee Nick Young, followed by a label change from T.I.'s Grand Hustle to Island Records, then departure from Island, then an indie deal with Empire. In My Defense, released independently five years after The New Classic, is positioned as a reclamation — the title itself is a legal framing that promises explanation and justification. The album's content delivers neither. The five years clearly did not produce the artistic growth that might have made a second album necessary.

What the Critics Said

Pitchfork's Dani Blum found the album stacked with cartoonish approximations of what she thinks a rap song should sound like — shivers of bass, the occasional skrrrt, Mad Libs of designer brands and bodily fluids — with many tracks sounding like direct imitations of the rappers she admires rather than originals. The review compared Freak of the Week to a rejected track by Megan Thee Stallion — a comparison that points to the album's deepest problem: Iggy Azalea in 2019 is trying to emulate the sound of artists who have superseded her, and producing pale copies of their aesthetics rather than her own material. AllMusic said she continues bragging, boasting, and fronting without any depth or sounding pleasure. The Metacritic aggregate of 39 — generally unfavourable — represents the consensus across major outlets.

Final Verdict and Rating

In My Defense earns a 2/10 — one point lower than The New Classic — because five years passed and nothing improved. Sally Walker is a genuine track with a hook strong enough to earn one of the two points. Everything else is the sound of an artist who has not grown, not reflected, and not reconsidered in five years of professional turbulence that should have produced exactly that. The title promises a defense. Metacritic's 39 is the verdict. Final Rating: 2/10.

Wikipedia — In My Defense (Iggy Azalea album)

Pitchfork — In My Defense Review