Azealia Banks has had an interesting career trajectory. She got major recognition after Diplo discovered her music and her hit "212" put her name in the ring. Around the same time, Iggy Azalea came up and there was confusion around the similarities in their name. Then issues arose with her label, and her music moved into the background. However, she wasn't silent, and her passionate and at-times abrasive opinions became the only reason she was making headlines.
In her most recent interview on Hot 97's Ebro in the Morning, the 23-year-old attempts to show us the world from her lens. She wears her heart on her sleeve and doesn't hold back when talking about her record label breakup, why she feels the way she does about Iggy Azalea and T.I., her fight for preserving black culture and her feelings on the white-washing and validation of The Grammys. This might be her most revealing interview to date. Check out some of the highlights below, and take a listen to her incredible new independently released album, Broke With Expensive Taste, album if you haven't yet.
When discussing The Grammys, she explains that their standard is supposed to be excellence. She feels as if the best music is being overlooked for music that sells. With the majority of the country being white combined with the fact that people generally gravitate toward music that reflects them, the highest-selling rap albums moving the largest number of people aren't necessarily the best from the genre.
"That Macklemore album wasn't better than Drake's record," she explained. "That Iggy Azalea sh*t is not better than any black girl that's rappin' today. The Grammys are supposed to be accolades of artist excellence. Iggy Azzlea is not excellent."
Banks was then brought to tears when she tried to explain why it hurts her so badly to see white people using things that black people created for their own benefit when white people already have so much to their name historically.
"All [giving a Grammy to Azalea or Macklemore] says to white kids is like 'Oh yeah, you're great, you're amazing, you can do whatever you put your mind to.' And it says to black kids, 'You don't have sh*t, you don't own sh*t, not even the sh*t you created for yourself. And, it makes me upset.
"Everyone knows the basis of modern capitalism is slave labor, really just the selling and trading of these slaves. There are still corporations caking off that slave money and sh*t like that. So until y'all motherf**kers are ready to talk about [the trillions of dollars] ya'll owe me, at the very f**kin least you owe me the right to my f**king identity and to not exploit that sh*t. That's all we're holding on to."
She goes on to explain what her problem with T.I. is and why she considers him a "coon." She thinks it's wrong of him to be promoting a white rapper while at the same time letting the entertainment industry perpetuate black stereotypes and exploit his wife, Tiny, who she says "can't even read."
"I take that personally," she said.
She also puts some of the blame on music journalists, radio personalities and DJs who instead of highlighting her music only bring her into the conversation when she says something controversial and click-baity.
Elsewhere in the interview, she talks about her career beginnings, her childhood, her musical background, her sexual preferences, and more.
Watch the full interview below, and let us know what you think in the comments section!
