| "Black Widow" | ||||
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| Single by Iggy Azalea featuring Rita Ora | ||||
| from the album The New Classic and Reclassified | ||||
| Released | 8 July 2014 | |||
| Recorded | November 2013 | |||
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| Genre | Pop rap | |||
| Length | 3:30 | |||
| Label | Def Jam | |||
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| Iggy Azalea singles chronology | ||||
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| Rita Ora singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Black Widow" on YouTube | ||||
"Black Widow" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea featuring British singer Rita Ora. Released through Def Jam Recordings, the song impacted on mainstream radio stations in the US on 8 July 2014, as the fifth single from her debut studio album, The New Classic (2014). It was written by Azalea, Katy Perry, Sarah Hudson, Benny Blanco, and duo Stargate, while the latter also produced the song. Lyrically, it addressed revenge after a failed romantic relationship. An accompanying music video for the song was released on 13 August 2014.
Initially a track recorded by Katy Perry for her fourth studio album, Prism (2013), it was excluded from Prism track listing, and Perry handed the demo to Azalea for her to complete. "Black Widow" has been described as "channeling the Pop" genre, containing an ominous steel drum rhythm, heavy bass and a sparse beat. The song peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Azalea's third top-five hit, following "Fancy" and "Problem". The song also became Ora's first top-three hit in the US. It has also reached number four in the UK and number fifteen in Australia.
Its composition has been the subject of music critics' comparisons to Perry's "Dark Horse". Other journalists praised its beat and Azalea and Ora's vocals. "Black Widow" charted due to strong digital sales during the debut week of The New Classic. Accordingly, before becoming a single it achieved peaks of number 91 in the United Kingdom and number 86 in Australia, and appeared on several component charts. Azalea has performed the song live as part of the setlist for her first headlining tour, The New Classic Tour (2014).