V Exclusive! Iggy Azalea Confirms Romantic Relationship with A$AP Rocky

If you aren't aware of this Australian rapper, get familiar... and quick.

After releasing a buzz-worthy mixtape, Ignorant Art, and dropping a couple accompanying visuals--most recently, Bell Soto-directed "The Last Song"--it seems as if Iggy Azalea is one of the few female shining stars in today's hip-hop scene. Garnering attention for her modelesque physique and signature platinum blonde ponytail, the southern-sounding raptress, born Amethyst, gut punches listeners with depth, delivery and, well, blatant swag.

Recently, she silently pledged allegiance to buzzing Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky when she tweeted her new ink. What was it, you ask? "Live, Love, A$AP" and "The New Classic" along the inside of her pointer, middle and ring fingers; the two's movement mantras and music projects. Too much, you say? Not for the Down Under beauty and Mr. Pretty Flocko. In the exclusive interview with VIBE, she opens up (a little) about her new beau, her fears about fame and what she thinks about Azealia Banks. -Niki McGloster

VIBE: Okay, so we have to talk about the A$AP tattoo. What’s the story behind that?
Iggy: Ugh, it’s hard to say without getting myself in trouble. [Laughs]

Say as much as you can.
I don’t know how to put it. It’s like… I… I don’t know… I love him and that’s all there is to it. We have our own thing going on and I’m not the only one that [got the tattoos]. I’ll tell you that. [Laughs] I’m just the only one with it on my fingers!

Now, is it that you love the movement or is there something going on between you and A$AP Rocky.
It’s not the movement. I’ll tell you that.

Okay, so saying as much as you can, if someone wanted to approach you for a date or something serious, would you be able to say “yes” or “no”?
I’d have to say that I’m taken.

Nice. Okay. When did you first meet the A$AP mob?
We have a mutual friend, Chase N. Cashe. He kinda showed me their stuff and he showed them mine. I came out to New York for the CMJ festival, and I couldn’t make their shows, but I got some of their numbers and was like, ‘When you’re out in LA and you do a show, I’ll come support.’ They ended up coming out a few weeks later, and Chase introduced us all. I was supposed to be doing a song with Rocky but… [Laughs]

I guess there was more than just a song there, huh?
[Laughs] Something was happening. There was definitely some chemistry. I mean, we would do a song, but with everything that’s kind of going on, I think it would be kinda corny right now. Like, 'Rocky and Iggy do a love duet!' [Laughs]

Aw! That’s the classic, unconventional love story.
It’s funny to me that everybody is so surprised about it. This should show you as a public how much you don’t see behind closed doors. Artists still do have personal lives. It feels like everything is so exposed and everybody knows everything, but there’s a lot of stuff that’s still private. It just came as a surprise like, 'What the f*ck,' but you guys just don’t know. [Laughs]

Yeah. I mean, people have a hard time separating real life from celebrity, so once they get a glimpse of that real life, they bug out.
And it’s scary! It’s scares me! I see how people twist regular music stuff, and I’m like, I don’t know about personal life. It’s like, you want to tell everyone about all kinds of different stuff, but I don’t want to ruin it by letting everybody in because not everybody’s happy for you.

Exactly.
I always say: Share your happiness with the world, give other people that happienes and let it come back, but some things make me question it. I don’t know if I want some people to know that I am happy. I think a lot of people want to take it away from you and that’s really scary.

Are you frightened by your growing success?
Sorta. It’s weird. It’s like you’re scared about it ‘cause you see a lot of things snowballing that you don’t have control over and youre’ like ‘Whoa.’ And then, you’ll get scared that you’ll lose it too or that it won’t keep going. What if I fail? What I go back to regular [life]? What if I fall off? It’s like I’m scared to see what’s over the mountain, but I have a wolf chasing me and I have to keep going. I have to keep going.

A double-edged sword.
Yeah, for real. When I first put my first video out, I sat down with my friend at this café, and we’re like, ‘Holy shit, what did we just do?’ [Laughs] You just can’t be prepated for the criticism. When you’re in the industry, you get critiqued a lot, but when you see real strangers going in on you, you’re like, I’m not prepared for it at all. It’s hard not to be affected by it. When you first get exposed, you want to look [at the comments], but you have to train yourself. You know what I mean?

Do not look at your mentions!
Yeah, even with me and Rocky. ‘Is Rocky dating Iggy?’ It’s like, I don’t even want to see the comments on that. Or I’ll see, ‘No, Iggy’s not dating him. Iggy’s dating blah, blah.’ [Laughs] It’s like, whatever! Wrong, wrong, wrong!

You know, one thing that everyone is speaking up about also is you and Azealia Banks. What’s going on there?
I have no deal with her. I don’t know her personally. I said it about Kreayshawn, too. If I don’t know you personally, how could I have a problem with you? What would I have a problem about? I don’t know that person. If somebody wants to say something about me, that’s something I can’t control. But a stranger? Whether it’s an artist or just a person writing a comment, you could never say anything that could make me mad enough to feel like I have some personal problem with you. I don’t know you. I truly don’t understand it. I just keep making my own music, and I’m deaf to that. What is there to say? Nothing.

What's coming up next?
I'm doing a song with Yelawolf. I have a song with Dev coming out, and this is all going to be promotional songs before the album. I have a song with Skeme and Kendrick [Lamar] that we're putting out, and I'm trying to get a song with just me and Kendrick, like, really freestyling and stuff.