Grand Hustle affiliate Iggy Azalea took to Twitter to announce her newly inked deal with Island Def Jam Records. The Aussie emcee had previously signed a deal with Interscope Records, but when that deal fell through mid-2012, she continued to roll with T.I.’s Hustle Gang as a free agent and partnered with him to release her EP Glory, which featured the Tip-assisted "Murda Bizness."

Azalea began a contractual parting of ways with T.I. earlier this year when she announced her debut LP, The New Classic, no longer had T.I. on board as executive producer. Her lead single "Work" was released through the Island Def Jam subsidiary Mercury UK in March and her growing relationship with the new label stirred up speculation about her status with the Grand Hustle head.

Azalea responded to the confusion via Twitter, claiming that although her and T.I. don't have a business union, they still remain friends.

"Hey world. I signed to island def jam. Iam now mercury UK/ island def jam USA awesome!!!!," she tweeted. "No. That doesn't mean I'm no in hustle gang. Save it. Still in it. Still on the hustle gang album. Friendship doesn't require contracts."

"If this confuses you, you are welcome to read the press release on billboard later today. ?"

The press release had no mention of T.I. or Grand Hustle, but the rapper/model did speak on her decision to make the move to Def Jam. “After speaking in depth with David [Massey], Steve [Bartles] and Chris [Anokute], it became clear that Island Records was attuned to the type of artist I am. They are a great addition to my UK team and I couldn't have asked for a more understanding and aspirational group of people to work with."

The New Classic is set for a 2013 release and, confirming her sentiments, she will be featured on the forthcoming Hustle Gang project.

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(Photo: PacificCoastNews.com)