"Beg for It" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea featuring Danish singer MØ. It was written by Azalea, Charli XCX, Jon Turner, the Invisible Men, and the Arcade, with production handled by the latter two. The song was released on 24 October 2014 as the lead single from the reissue of Azalea's debut studio album, The New Classic (2014), titled Reclassified (2014). An initial live preview of the song in September 2014 resulted in widespread media speculation that it featured XCX as the sequel to "Fancy", XCX's previous collaboration with Azalea. However, it was later revealed that XCX wrote the track's hook for MØ, who Azalea discovered on YouTube. A hip hop and trap song, "Beg for It" contains a percolating, booming stark beat and solicits a sinuous, minimalist feel. Its lyrical content comprises themes of girl power and prominently figures the phrase "pussy power".
The song garnered generally favourable reviews from music critics, many of whom commended its catchiness. Others were, however, ambivalent towards its similarities with Azalea's previous singles "Black Widow" and "Fancy". "Beg for It" became a top 30 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and in Australia, where it peaked at number 27 and number 29 respectively. It was more successful on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart where it peaked at number eight for five consecutive weeks and became Azalea's fourth top 10 hit of 2014. It also peaked at number four in Germany and number nine in Flanders (Belgium). In May 2015, "Beg for It" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
An accompanying music video for the song, directed by David LaChapelle, was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts and Azalea's conflicting tour schedule. Instead, an accompanying lyric video for the song was released on Azalea's Vevo page. Their first live performance of the song on Saturday Night Live was panned by many critics, who commented extensively on MØ's vocal latency and poor performance timing, with one deeming it "one of the most cringe-worthy live moments in recent history". MØ uploaded a handwritten apology in response to the criticism, in which she explained that she experienced technical difficulties with her microphone. The singer was absent from all of Azalea's subsequent live performances of "Beg for It" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 41st People's Choice Awards and the 2014 American Music Awards.
Background
"Beg for It" was written by Azalea, Charli XCX, the Invisible Men, the Arcade, and Jon Turner. The Invisible Men and the Arcade also produced the track, while Daniel Zaidenstadt and Paul Falcone did the recording. The song was recorded in four different studios; Record Plant in Los Angeles, Sarm West Studios and Grove Studios in London, and Downtown Music Studios in New York City. "Beg for It" was subsequently mixed by Anthony Kilhoffer with the assistance of Kyle Ross at The Mix Spot in Los Angeles, and then mastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Azalea previewed "Beg for It" during her live show at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London on 14 September 2014. The preview resulted in widespread media speculation that the song featured XCX, and would serve as a sequel to "Fancy", XCX's previous collaboration with Azalea. However, in Azalea's announcement of the song's single release on Twitter on 10 October 2014, it was revealed that Danish singer MØ was the track's featured vocalist instead. The rapper went on to post her view of MØ on the social media network, stating: "A lot of you may not know her, but she's super cool. I love her voice and her eyebrows". In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, Azalea said she wanted to assist a rising star with a guest feature on her album, and "fell in love" with MØ after discovering the singer on YouTube. XCX later revealed on Twitter that she specifically wrote MØ's hook in the song.
Release "Beg for It" served as the lead single from the reissue of Azalea's debut studio album The New Classic, titled Reclassified (2014), and was preceded by the promotional single, "Iggy SZN". The single's cover art was revealed by Azalea on Instagram on 17 October 2014. The sketched cover depicts Azalea posing with a jacket draped over her shoulder, while accompanied by a white panther. Writing for Idolator, Bradley Stern praised the visual, stating that the rapper was "looking fierce". John Walker of MTV News opined that the artwork was predominantly influenced by American artist Patrick Nagel and 1980s fashion. "Beg for It" was released as digital download "instant grat" in the United States at 00:00 EST (15:00 UTC) on 24 October 2014, with the pre-order of Reclassified on the iTunes Store. The song then received its radio premiere on iHeart Radio a few hours later, at 06:00 EST (11:00 UTC). WJHM subsequently played the song 16 times in its first day following its premiere. "Beg for It" impacted contemporary hit radio and rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States on 28 October 2014. The song's digital release was slated to 24 November 2014 in the United Kingdom, the same day as Reclassified. A digital remixes EP was later commissioned in Australia on 18 December 2014, and in the United Kingdom on 25 January 2015.
Composition
"Beg for It" is a hip hop and trap song. It contains a percolating, booming stark beat, and solicits a sinuous, minimalist feel. The song's instrumentation comprises an impish, echoed synthesizer, hollowed-out bass, and drums and keyboards played by members of The Invisible Men and The Arcade. "Beg for It" is set in the time signature of common time, with a moderately fast tempo of 94 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of E flat minor with Azalea and MØ's vocals spanning the tonal nodes of E4 to D5. A basic sequence of A# m–F#-C#-Gb is followed throughout the song as its chord progression.
The track opens with Azalea rapping the line, "Pull up looking picture perfect, baby / High price, but I'm worth it baby". MØ sings the chorus hook, "I know you like the way I turn it on / I'm out here with my friends / Imma make you beg, make you beg for it," with "swagger", and a playful and bubbly tone; in contrast with Azalea's cadence and braggadocio in its verses. It was noted that MØ's vocal was heavily processed, with a jocose sample bound along with it. "Beg for It" also features additional vocals by XCX and background vocals by Antonia Karamani. The track garnered several comparisons with the rapper's two previous singles, "Black Widow" and "Fancy". It was also noted to share similarities with T.I.'s "No Mediocre", which features Azalea.
"Beg for It" contains themes of girl power, and prominently figures the phrase "pussy power". The lyric, "Iggy, Iggy, Iggy can't you see? / That everyone wants to put their hands on me" interpolates The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize" (1997). Marissa G. Miller of Radio.com noted that Azalea's verse, "That everybody wanna put their hands on me / See I be on this money why your man on me / And I need another hand with all these bandz on me," depicted the rapper as "headstrong". Throughout the song, the Azalea's lyrics tease and gloat about an ex-lover who "wants to bring the feeling back". "Beg for It" also explores a common pop theme of telling a man to work hard for the protagonist's attention.
Critical reception "Beg for It" garnered generally favourable reviews from music critics. Jeff Benjamin of Fuse said Azalea "shines and sounds more confident than ever" and that the song was "perhaps even more addicting" than "Fancy". MTV News reporter Adam Fleischer said that the rapper "may have another smash on her hands". Jaclyn Hendricks of the New York Post suggested that "Beg for It" was Azalea's catchiest song to date. Complimenting the track's jocose sample, MØ's "distinct" vocal and Azalea's rapping, Amy Davidson of Digital Spy said the single was "doing nothing to disprove that Iggy is anything but at the top of her game right now". AllMusic's David Jeffries highlighted "Beg for It" as the second-best song on Reclassified, behind "Fancy". Complex writer David Drake described it as "a more immediate, pop-chart-ready record than anything she's made outside 'Fancy' itself". Rory Cashin of State commended MØ's "uniquely chilly sexy confidence" in "Beg for It". The track was also deemed "catchy" by Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone. While Consequence of Sound's Chris Coplan felt "Beg for It" demonstrated Azalea's versatility in her musical collaborations.
However, critics were ambivalent towards the song's similarities with "Fancy" and "Black Widow". Idolator's Mike Wass said the track comes close to resembling "Fancy", but noted that "the formula clearly still works". Wass also gave praise to Azalea's flow in her lyrics and predicted that with an accompanying music video, "Beg for It" would become the rapper's fourth top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Patrick Ryan of USA Today commended the track for containing the staples of "Fancy" and "Black Widow", and highlighted its "arresting" verses, "hypnotic" beat and "memorable" hook. Similarly, PopSugar's Nick Maslow complimented "Beg for It" for following the formula set by its two predecessors, Azalea's "memorable" verses and MØ's "earworm-worthy" hook.
James Grebey of Spin wrote: "The bulk of the song does sound quite a bit like a mashup of 'Fancy' and 'Black Widow,' a comparison that can, we guess, be taken as a compliment. Or, you know, not". In a mixed review, Billboard columnist Jason Lipshutz awarded "Beg for It" two-and-a-half out of five stars, criticising Azalea's use of half-baked similies and following the formula of "Fancy", but viewed the song as MØ's "best bid for U.S. stardom". Music Times writer Carolyn Menyes said that what made "Beg for It" most remarkable was the manifestation that its hook was written by "Fancy" collaborator XCX, and dismissed its lyrics and rhymes. She felt Azalea showcased "impressive rapping prowess," but was meandering throughout the track. However, Menyes called MØ "the true standout" on the track and said that it would assist the singer with her breakthrough into mainstream success in the United States. Allan Raible of ABC News viewed the song as a "redo" of "Fancy" and felt Azalea lacked an "impressive flow". Raible concluded, "While this works, it is more of the same". In a negative review, Jim Farber of the Daily News called "Beg for It" a "rote recycle" of "Fancy", and commented, "It sounds like it was thrown together as quickly as possible, a nervous sop to her ravenous fan base". While Sam Wolfson of The Guardian deemed it "a cheap rip-off" of "Fancy", adding, "the same schoolgirl chorus and flow g-g-g-gimmicks". Similarly, Maura Johnston of the same publication said that the track "can't hold a candle to 'Fancy,' pop-song wise".
Commercial performance