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Music

Erykah Badu Absolutely Rinsed Iggy Azalea at the Soul Train Awards Last Night

A level of shade so immense, it could have plummeted the entire world into temporary darkness.
Emma Garland
London, GB

Sunday night saw the 2015 Soul Train Awards grace televisions everywhere, and Erykah Badu—fresh off the Friday release of her new But You Caint Use My Phone mixtape—was the evening's host. Blessing the stage with her regal presence and an outfit that guns for Pharrell's title as the winner of Noisey's Top One Big Hat of the Year Award, Badu's opening monologue about the distinction between soul and hip-hop contained playful disses at André 3000 and Young Thug, and a level of shade thrown at Iggy Azalea that was so immense it could have plummeted the entire world into temporary darkness.

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In keeping with with the theme of her album, which plays on human inter-connectivity through telephone devices, Badu answers her phone and says: "Who is this? Iggy Azalea! Yeah, hey. Oh no no you can come! Cuz what you doin' is definitely not rap." Cue the thunderous applause of an audience who straight up laughed their asses off on camera without even trying to conceal it to feign democratic status like they would on the BRITs. Even Jidenna, Mr. actual Classic Man, just stood there wearing a warm smile like someone he loved just announced a pregnancy.

Until a few hours ago rinsing Iggy Azalea, hip-hop's easiest target, was considered a cheap shot—one that should have been taken in 2014 and before Azealia Banks ended it all with "Igloo Australia," but Badu just gifted us with such a truly beautiful moment that now we have to reconsider. This is the Year of Our Lord 2015, and somehow dragging Iggy Azalea is still funny. Well, maybe only if its Badu cracking the jokes.

Watch below and read our interview with Erykah Badu here.

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PressPlay: The shade #ErykahBadu just threw at #IggyAzalea though