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Questlove Defends Iggy Azalea, Says “Fancy” Is a “Game-Changer” for Hip-Hop Culture

Questlove and Iggy Azalea
Questlove defended Iggy Azalea against cultural appropriation critics, saying "Fancy" is a game-changer for hip-hop

Not even Questlove can resist "Fancy." Speaking with Time magazine recently, The Roots drummer was asked where he stands in the cultural appropriation debate over Iggy Azalea, the white Australian rapper whose bouncy single has ruled the charts this summer.

"Here's the thing: The song is effective and catchy as hell, and it works," he said. "It makes me chuckle because all I can see is my assistant holding a brush in the mirror and singing it."

Related: PHOTOS: Iggy and other stars at the ESPYS

"I'm caught in between," he continued. "And I defend it. I see false Instagram posts like, 'She said the N-word! She said the N-word!' I'll call people out—'Yo, don't troll.' I know you're ready to give your 42-page dissertation on theGrio about why this is culture vulture-ism. You know, we as black people have to come to grips that hip-hop is a contagious culture. If you love something, you gotta set it free."

Related: PHOTOS: Iggy at the Grammys

The Tonight Show musician went on to praise Azalea's No. 1 hit, saying, "'Fancy,' above any song that I've ever heard or dealt with, is a game-changer in that fact that we're truly going to have to come to grips with the fact that hip-hop has spread its wings."

He also noted that many of his favorite new artists are coming from Australia. "A lot of them are more soulful than what we're dealing with now. When you think soul music and Aretha Franklin and the Baptist-born singer, that's sort of an idea in the past," he explained.

Related: PHOTOS: Hot Aussies

"I'm not going to lie to you, I'm torn between the opinions on the Internet, but I'mma let Iggy be Iggy…The song is effective," he concluded. "Part of me hopes she grows out of that [enunciation] and [raps] with her regular dialect—I think that would be cooler. But, yeah, 'Fancy' is the song of the summer.'"

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