Azealia Banks Offers Insight, Apologizes for Offensive Speech

I’m a huge fan of Azealia Banks. Her music is fierce and whether she’s rapping or breaking into song, her vocals are killer. Granted, she’s said some things that unquestionably kicked the hornet’s nest of negative emotions for our community, so being out as a fan requires a good feel for the room.

That said, I’m certainly breathing a little easier seeing her come to terms with what might actually be behind her statements that, whether she intended them to or not, cut some of the LGBT community to the bone.  Check it out:

Text below with edits for clarity:

“Ok, I’m never saying the word F****T ever again. The amount of people that get hurt when i use the word vs. the amount of people I’ve said it to are just not worth it. Honestly. This isn’t a cop out; its just me realizing that words hurt. And while I may be immune to every word and be thicker-skinned than most, it doesn’t mean that I get to go around treating people with the same toughness that made my skin so thick. Because, that IS how people get thick skin … by being subjected to name calling/belittlement/abuse and its not fair. Not fair to my fans, not fair to my peers, but most importantly, not fair to myself. By using those words, I paint a picture of myself that isn’t the true me. I paint the picture of my upbringing, my neighborhood, my pain, and my misfortunes. I paint the picture of someone who is used to suppressing things and being defensive. I paint the picture of someone who cannot allow themselves to be vulnerable or at the very least, happy. When I am ALL of those things, I’m sweet, I’m kind, I’m caring, I’m generous. I love to make people laugh and, above all of it, I LOVE ART. I love to please and inspire others with my music more than I love anything in the world. To lose out on a chance to make people feel good and smile and be happy would be the dumbest thing I could do in this lifetime. To end this note, I want to SINCERELY apologize to my fans for having let so many of you down over the years. I know that you all want nothing else for me but to see me win, and I thank the many of you who saw the beauty in me and have stuck around this far. The ‪#‎Kuntbrigade‬ loves me more than I’ve EVER felt love in my life and it would be so sacrilegious to throw away my blessings that way. When I was a little girl, I prayed to god that someone would come along and love me and my wish was granted 100fold. I cherish the #kuntbrigade SOOO FUCKING MUCH. You guys are my rock, I love you guys so much and all I want to do is make you proud.

I’d like to personally invite Miss Banks to an interview in which she can talk at length about the sitch, should she choose. As I’ve said, I’m a huge fan who’s made similar mistakes in my life. No judging; just listening.

Cheers.

Also: Peep the latest from AZ and her crew, The Big Big Beat.