It’s no secret that Iggy Azalea and Azealia Banks aren’t exactly the best of pals. The two have been feuding back and forth for quite some time, though the bickering reached a boiling point when Azalea took to Twitter and condemned Banks as a bigot and bully.
In her tweets, Azalea admonishes Banks for her “piss poor attitude” and to take responsibility for her own success rather than blaming every issue on race.
Your inability to be responsible for your own mistakes, bullying others, the inability to be humble or have self control. It's YOU!
— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) December 19, 2014
you created your own unfortunate situation by being a bigot and don't have the mental capacity to realize yet. Probably never will.
— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) December 19, 2014
Now! rant, Make it racial! make it political! Make it whatever but I guarantee it won't make you likable & THATS why ur crying on the radio.
— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) December 19, 2014
The bad blood reignited after Banks took to her social media to slam Azalea and accused her of trying to act black and in a way that makes mockery of African-Americans and the rapping and hip-hop industry.
Banks also recently appeared on Hot 97 for an interview in which she voices her frustrations regarding race relations. She believes the music industry is mired in racism and cited Macklemore winning the best rap album at the 2014 Grammy Awards as an example. According to her, the fact that a white rapper won the award over black rappers like Drake shows that whites will always be given special preferences.
In the same interview, Azealia Banks also took a jab at Iggy Azalea and accused her of “cultural smudging” with the reissue release of her premiere album Reclassified. According to Banks, the album had striking similarities to Nicki Minaj’s Roman Reloaded and was a blatant case of cultural appropriation by Azalea.
Banks then went on a rant about capitalism and how corporations are exploiting black musicians to make millions of dollars all at the expense of black men and women’s identity.
Banks’ full interview can be viewed below. It has already gone semi-viral and has also generated a ton of discussion about race, appropriation, and what constitutes good music.
As for Azealia Banks and Iggy Azalea, it doesn’t look like the two are going to be exchanging pleasantries anytime soon. Maybe someday the two can bury the hatchet and perform a duet together. For now, though, it’s just a war of words in the Twitter sphere, which prompts fans and trolls alike to comment and add their own two cents.
[photo credit: The 405 (Music & Art)]