Iggy Azalea Says Being a Working Mom to 'Goofball' Onyx Is a 'Tough Balance but Really Fulfilling'

"Honestly, I'm just a big softie, and I can't be without my son for that long," Azalea tells PEOPLE. "I've never been more than one night without him since he was born"

Iggy Azalea and son Onyx. Photo: Iggy Azalea/Instagram

The queens of rap are all moms: Nicki Minaj to 11-month-old Papa Bear, Cardi B to Kulture, 4, and one on the way — and Iggy Azalea to baby Onyx, 14 months.

In this week's issue of PEOPLE, Azalea, 31, opens up about the juggling act of being a mother, entertainer and now running her own cosmetic line, Totally Plastic.

"Honestly, it's definitely really hard, but that makes it super fulfilling. I feel way more accomplished to know that I am able to do all these things at the same time," the rapper, who released her album The End of an Era earlier this month, tells PEOPLE. "But sometimes it can be very stressful. I like to spend the whole day with my son, and he doesn't go to bed until 7 o'clock. That's when the clock starts for me, whether it's in the studio or working on other creative projects. I don't go to bed until 4:30 in the morning, and my son wakes up at 7:30."

"It's a never-ending cycle of balancing what I want. I have big respect for other working moms," she adds. "Whether you're an entertainer or whatever you do, it is a tough balance, but it's really fulfilling. I love knowing that all the projects I'm doing are things that my son's going to get to see one day and be like, 'My mom was really cool. Look what she did.' "

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The "Fancy" artist says staying busy and involved with musical work and other creative outlets makes her feel like she's "leaving a legacy of creativity for him to be inspired by when he's old enough to see it all."

"That makes me really happy," she adds.

Being a mother has also brought out a different side of the rapper, one she says she often keeps aside.

"I'm a lot more kind and loving than people might know because my musical side is powerful, aggressive. I am very blunt in that way in my life, too. But I think there's a more vulnerable, loving side of me that I don't necessarily share so much with the world," she says. "Being bold or feeling more powerful is maybe my way of protecting myself a little bit because I actually am very emotional and get my feelings hurt really easily."

As for Onyx? "He's just a big goofball," she says. "He's very curious, independent, inquisitive and fun."

"He's not worried about needing to have mom always there. He wants to run out and jump in the pool and jump off the couch. He's crazy and fun," she adds. "When new people come up, he's not scared of them. He wants to meet them."

At home, baby Onyx is likely walking around with a dinosaur suit and some sunglasses, which Azalea says are his favorite things.

"I bought him eight pairs of sunglasses, and he puts them on and everyone's like, 'Oh, you're so cool' when he has his sunglasses on so he really likes to wear them," the "Iam the Stripclub" singer says with a laugh. "His attitude changes when he has his sunglasses on so I think he's getting a bit of an alter ego already!"

Overall, motherhood has taught Azalea to put her son first and "think about how every move I make is going to impact" him.

"I'm a lot more considerate and meticulous about the things I do, the people I invite into my life, the business decisions I make, or how much time that's going to take away from me raising my son," she says. "I am more conscious of my decision-making, my reasoning."

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As she prepares to go on tour with Pitbull next month, she'll have to leave baby Onyx at home for most stops but there will be times when she'll get to "station" herself in a state for days in a row.

"When we're in Florida, I'm stationing my son in Orlando so he can go to Disneyland every day and do the fun stuff. Then I'll go to Tampa and come back every night," Azalea says. "He's too young to be on a tour bus, but there are a few moments like that. Texas is another one where I'm able to go and do shows within the state and come back to my son every night, because honestly, I'm just a big softie, and I can't be without my son for that long."

"I've never been more than one night without him since he was born," she shares. "The longest I have to be without him on the tour is five nights in a row, and I'm kind of already dreading it and feeling guilty about it as a mother. But everybody keeps telling me, 'He won't remember it. He won't remember it.' I'm like, 'But I'll remember it!' "

For more from Iggy Azalea, grab a copy of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.