Iggy Azalea

Released: March 17, 2013

Songwriter: George Astasio Jon Shave Jason Pebworth FKi 1st Natalie Lauren Iggy Azalea

Producer: The Invisible Men FKi 1st

"Work" is the lead single from Iggy Azalea's debut studio album, The New Classic. Hailed by Azalea as her most personal song, "Work" was developed with motivational and inspirational intentions to portray her life story; specifically dealing with her struggle as an up-and-coming rapper, and her relocation from Mullumbimby, New South Wales to Miami, Florida at age 16. In sequence with its lyrical story, the snap and trap track begins with a sad-stringed verse segment before significantly increasing in tempo at its drum and synth-heavy refrain. Read more on Last.fm.

Length: 3:43

[Intro]
Walk a mile in these Louboutins
But they don't wear these shits where I'm from
I'm not hating, I'm just telling you
I'm tryna let you know what the fuck that I've been through

[Verse 1]
Two feet in the red dirt, school skirt
Sugar cane, back lanes
Three jobs, took years to save
But I got a ticket on that plane
People got a lot to say
But don't know shit about where I was made
Or how many floors that I had to scrub
Just to make it past where I am from

[Pre-Chorus]
No money, no family
16 in the middle of Miami
No money, no family
16 in the middle of Miami
No money, no family
16 in the middle of Miami
16 in the middle of Miami

[Chorus]
I've been up all night, tryna get that rich
I've been work-work-work-work-workin' on my shit
Milked the whole game twice, gotta get it how I live
I've been work-work-work-work-workin' on my shit
Now get this work
Now get this work
Now get this work
Now get this work
Workin' on my shit

[Verse 2]
You can hate it or love it
Hustle and the struggle is the only thing I'm trusting
Thoroughbred in a mud brick before the budget
White chick on that Pac shit
My passion was ironic
And my dreams were uncommon
Guess I gone crazy, first deal changed me
Robbed blind, basically raped me
Rose through the bullshit like a matador
Just made me madder and adamant to go at 'em
And even the score
So, I went harder
Studied the Carters till a deal was offered
Slept cold on the floor recording
At four in the morning
And now I'm passin' the bar like a lawyer
Immigrant, art ignorant
Ya ill intent was insurance for my benefit
Hate to be inconsiderate
But the industry took my innocence
Too late, now I'm in this bitch!

You don't know the half
This shit get real
Valley girls giving blowjobs for Louboutins
What you call that?
Head over heels

[Pre-Chorus]
No money, no family
16 in the middle of Miami
No money, no family
16 in the middle of Miami
No money, no family
16 in the middle of Miami
16 in the middle of Miami

[Chorus]
I've been up all night, tryna get that rich
I've been work-work-work-work-workin' on my shit
Milked the whole game twice, gotta get it how I live
I've been work-work-work-work-workin' on my shit
Now get this work
Now get this work
Now get this work
Now get this work
Workin' on my shit

[Verse 3]
Pledge allegiance to the struggle
Ain't been easy
But cheers to Peezy for the weeks we lived out of duffle
Bags is all we had
Do anything for my Mama, I love you
One day I'll pay you back for the sacrifice
That ya managed to muscle
Sixteen, you sent me through customs so
All aboard my spaceship to Mercury
Turn first at the light that's in front me
'Cause every night I'ma do it like it's my last
This dream is all that I need
'Cause it's all that I ever had

[Outro]
Now get this work
Now get this work
Now get this work
Now get this work
Workin' on my shit
Now get this work
Now get this work
Now get this work
Now get this work
Workin' on my shit

Amethyst Amelia Kelly (b. June 7, 1990), better known by her stage name Iggy Azalea, is an Australian rapper and songwriter signed to Island Records and Roc Nation. After being raised in a small town called Mullumbimby and feeling like an outsider, in 2006, at the age of 16, she moved to the United States to pursue a career in hip hop music, stating that she was drawn to the birthplace of rap, and resided in the Southern part of the country.

Moving from Miami to Houston to Atlanta, Iggy absorbed the Southern-style drawl of her surroundings and released her debut project, a mixtape titled Ignorant Art in September 2011, shortly after relocating to Los Angeles. Iggy commented that she made it “with intent to make people question and redefine old ideals.” The project’s raw electronic sound accentuated her unique style that would become a trademark throughout her career. Prior to the release of the mixtape, she had been sharing several home videos on her YouTube channel as an underground rapper and her debut music video for “Pu$$y” quickly went viral due to its explicit nature. In 2012, Iggy became the first female and the first non-American rapper to be featured on XXL’s annual Freshman Class cover issue.

Iggy then aligned herself with the self-proclaimed “King of the South” T.I., who executive produced her free EP Glory released in July 2012 through his Grand Hustle imprint, which included their popular collaboration “Murda Bizness”. Later that year, she was featured on the Hustle Gang Cypher at the BET Hip Hop Awards. In October 2012, Iggy released her second mixtape TrapGold, produced entirely by Diplo and 1st Down of FKi. In the following year, she was selected as the tour opening act for the likes of Beyoncé and Nas.

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Change Your Life - EP

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WorkIggy Azalea

Iggy Azalea

Change Your Life - EP