Azealia Banks has argued that she is a victim of a white supremacy and that her Twitter account was only suspended once she began insulting white people.
Banks had her account suspended by Twitter last night (May 12) days after she levelled racist insults at Zayn Malik in a row over his new music video. The tweets were deleted but Twitter took action regardless.
After the account was suspended Banks began posting messages on Instagram, including this one in which she explains that she “insulted Indians, Pakistani, black folk… And my Twitter didn’t get suspended until I said “Whiteness is a mental illness.”
Since then Banks has posted a number of messages of support from fans. In a lengthier caption on two of these letters, Banks opened up about her thoughts on what has happened to her this week.
What follows is a full transcription of Banks’ Instagram comments:
“Black folk are the first to discard their own especially when white media/society hangs one of us out for public crucifixion. From the minute I appeared on the scene I was told by black men in black media that I was ugly, skinny, had bad hair, was weird, made music for white people etc… And those messages penetrated the social consciousness of black America very quickly. I’ve been belittled, berated, stolen from, called crazy when making clear and true observations about the world we live in only to then have all of those things reveal themselves to be truths. I’m not blaming anyone or anything for any of my actions but I think it’s really important to for people outside of us (black folk) to understand the detrimental effects of whiteness and white supremacy/white cultural pervasiveness on black peoples MENTAL HEALTH as a whole and the MENTAL HEALTH of black individual herself. Zayn feeling as though he’s too good to acknowledge me, yet not too good to STEAL and copy my art is fucking HURTFUL. And it happens everywhere. People steal and copy my art ALL THE TIME and try to pretend as if they are somehow above me when they are the ones without their own creative ideas to begin with. Music industry politics which completely mimic racial social constructs allow people like Zayn to hide behind his popularity amongst white folk when he himself is aiding in the work of white supremacy. Cultural Erasure. Another instance of a “white” artist taking credit for the black artists hard work and passion. And truthfully, it’s pushing me over the fucking edge. White society grinds down the self esteem of black artists to the point where we are expected to be silent about such obvious transgressions.”
Getty“Calling him [Malik] racial slurs was my way of trying to angrily remind him that he is in fact not one of them, he is one of US. The white privileges he’s so eager to take part in do not apply to him. He’s colored, like me. His people suffer at the helm of white supremacy just like mine do. He has NO RIGHT to treat me as if I’m not “worthy” of anything, because the white privilege he’s reaching for does not apply to him. In the racial-social construct of the pop world he is STILL beneath Justin Beiber [sic]. There are countless other white male pop stars who will be pushed to the front of the line while he has to work TWICE AS HARD to even be noticed. He needs a reality check and needs to respect that I am one of those people WHO HAS TO WORK TWICE AS HARD maybe 3x to make this happen for myself. Respect that we are both in the same boat and stop letting all that white pussy go to ur head.”
NME contacted Twitter for comment on the reasons for why the company decided to suspend Banks account. Twitter don’t comment on specific accounts but referred us to to their rules, in particular the section on abusive behaviour.
As well as being suspended from Twitter Banks was also removed from a headline set at London’s Born & Bred Festival this week. The event takes place next month (June) with organisers saying they “celebrate inclusivity and equality” and would not tolerate Banks’ language.
Meanwhile, Banks is also reportedly being investigated by the Home Office over her Zayn Malik tweets, which could lead to the star been banned from entering the UK.
The incident is the latest in a long line of controversies for Banks. She recently endorsed Donald Trump for US President, describing him as “evil, like America”.