Editor’s note: This post contains tweets that some may find offensive.
Azealia Banks' cup runneth over.
The retro-punk rapper and singer who rose to mixtape fame with her hit single "212"—and a few highly publicized disputes with other celebrities over issues like racism and cultural appropriation—is fed up with media, but more specifically with black media.
She got on Twitter Sunday and described how disapointed she was that the first time she made it into Ebony magazine's print issue was because of her ongoing feud with white female rapper Iggy Azalea.
In short, Banks thinks that Azalea is the queen of cultural appropriation, and has argued that Azalea doesn't care to understand or acknowledge how her work could be perceived as blackface, or that Azalea's overall message doesn't give enough credence to black culture.
Banks took down her tweet specifically directed at Ebony magazine, but she kept up the other tweets in which she said that she would rather black news outlets not cover her any longer. She even went so far as to say that black media has done "the most damage" to her brand.
https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/635522316399681536https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/635522761100804096https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/635525663307513856https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/635541072773419008https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/635541122459287553
In addition, Banks accused black media outlets of being sexist, saying that they are more accommodating of black male artists who mess up than of female ones.
https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/635837140518223872https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/635837284307365888https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/635837414536298497
Ebony magazine wasn't the only media outlet she called out. Banks also has vendettas against New York City hip-hop radio station Hot 97 and the BET cable network for not playing her songs and videos.
https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/635838072370909184https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/635838226771615744https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/635838492564660225https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/635838687801147393https://twitter.com/AZEALIABANKS/status/635840701234872320
Banks certainly has been one of the most vocal black celebrities to bring attention to the issue of cultural appropriation, and how modern racism works covertly to make black people feel inferior or unaware of their contributions to popular culture.
But I think the way she kicks up dust about these very important issues is what contributes to the idea that she's a counterproductive rabble-rouser. Most of the time, I'm not mad at her approach, although I do think it could be fine-tuned a bit while still retaining its spunk. But for a lot of people, her entire modus operandi rubs them the wrong way. Plus, I bet the reason she hasn't been fully embraced by traditional urban outlets is that black media doesn't quite know how to categorize her music. (Is she R&B? House? Rave?)
She's eclectic, a trendsetter and a voice that needs to be included in these tough conversations.
Diana Ozemebhoya Eromosele is a staff writer at The Root and the founder and executive producer of Lectures to Beats, a Web series that features video interviews with scarily insightful people. Follow Lectures to Beats on Facebook and Twitter.
For more of black Twitter, check out The Chatterati on The Root and follow The Chatterati on Twitter.