Azealia Banks on white hip-hop &  

i feel like this woman is terribly misunderstood.

She does not mind white rappers if you ack like your self and not black she wants ppl to be who they are and be proud of that but what ppl hear is angry black woman. Just like the elvis song "you ain't nothing but" that song was written by a black woman

"I just feel like for centuries and centuries and centuries black people have been painted to be these animals and just be these crazy people when we are really not." Rapper Azealia Banks speaks to Channel 4 News about the "appropriation" of black culture by white people, politics and her music.

As a white gay male, I can say with confidence that everything she says is true. Nothing she said wasn't true or offensive.

"running out of whiteness" - that's brilliant lol

She speaks the inconvenient truth. People who don't like it should be trying to _change_ it, not _deny_ its existence.

She makes a lot of really good points especially when she says it's not "black on black" crime but instead "poor on poor" crime.

I respect that fact that she,says whats on her mind .

"White people are running out of whiteness." Exactly. Way to hit the nail on the head, Azealia... beautifully and truthfully put.

Azealia banks can start a mean Twitter beef, but I completely agree with her opinions on Cultural Appropriation and her music is FUCKING DOPE.

That Kylie Jenner reference though, damn.

I'm white and I 100 percent agree with Azealia. I love her and her music a lot.

I don't think the interviewer understood her arguments at all. If you don't have that historical background it's probably hard to understand because the arguments she made were pretty complex.

There is appropriation of black culture. What we do and create its popular amongst ourselves but when some white person does it it becomes "OMG, MILEY HAS REALLY BROUGTH ON THE NEW TWERKING TREND, ALL GIRLS LOVE TO TWERK NOW" when black woman, who twerk better than white girls hwve been twerking since the 80s and have actual juicy asses to make it worth the watch. Or when Kendall had the mini box braids in her hair and some magazine posted " Kendall, bring bold braids to a epic new level" when different braids style were already being accomplished by black woman and girls for centuries. It sounds silly to claim such trivial things like these but it's the principal and the point of that some white people are actually clueless when it comes to other culture. If it's not something they see themeselves doing then it doesn't matter or they're just oblivious to it. But if you call them out on it they look confused and say you're pullong the race card. same thing with Iggy, reason why I don't like her is NOT because she's white but because she doesn't come off as genuine and respectful to art that is black. But it's more so not with her but with The Media (white media) gassing her up to be this next big thing when she barely had an album out. This's bitch had no album out and Forbes was already calling her the best, and the queen of rap when LYRCIALLY IGGY SUCKS COMAPRED TO NICKI AND Azealia Banks. Nicki Minaj came out around 2009 but she's wasn't NICKI MINAJ until 2011 2012. Iggy comes out and the media is already giving this girl alcolades the bitch didn't even have nor worked for. I get it, IGGY Azealia is like a gift to white people and that's ok. As human beings you flock to the person who looks more like you. But the some white people, amd the media (white media) need to stop appropriating our culture and our very being and trying to sell it to the world as if your favorite white hip hop, R&B, soul artist are the prime examples and the catalyst for shit we've been doing and still do and obviosuly do better.

I just wanna sit with her and vibe and listen to music and talk about anything and everything

I aint agreeing with everything she says... but she kinda has a point.. a lot of black women naturally have curves. black men loved it. but it was seen as out of shape n a eyesaw to the majority of white ppl. along comes kim K & iggy azealia with these bodies and all of a sudden its a mainstream trend. to a point where "all about that bass" (a song which talks about having a phat ass) becomes a #1 hit. Big lips were seen as ugly, until angelina jolie comes along and rich women started filling their lips with shit to have big lips. recently zendaya coleman was ridiculed live on air because of her dreadlocks "i bet she smells like weed" one grammy host said... kylie jenner went and got a shit excuse of dreadlocks sewn onto her head and magazines called it "edgy and new". as if black people hadnt been getting turned away from good opportunities for the same hair. not everything she says is right but she makes some sense

The things she said in those 8 minutes in the video are just priceless and has so much truth to it. She really seems like an intelligent woman who understands her craft and the history of her art.

What she's trying to say is she's tired of the white race being praised for their black assets. For instance, white culture want fuller lips and are praised for it, but black women have had fuller lips for centuries, and was never recognized for it. Black cultures and it's not only Black Cultures that are pushed under the rug, but what she's trying to say is that we've recognized it and it's tiring. What happened to world peace?

Azealia Banks states "Self preservation is Key.....its imperative that we preserve everything" YES!! Preach!

I Like That She IS Real

"White people are running out of whiteness" 😭

EVERYBODY'S culture is assimilated ( I initially thought appropriate and assimilate where the same). She is wearing a wig in this very interview to emulate hair she doesn't have. Every day we black people go to school for jobs and work at jobs that our ancestors DID NOT INVENT. And HipHop would not even be what it is today if it had not started in America so really it is everybody's culture. Hiphop is written in ENGLISH language and samples WHITE musician's music recorded by machines created by WHITE PEOPLE. We didn't create the recording studio..whites did..so if it wasn't for them NOBODY would be able to record music. Whites buy the music in higher volumes than blacks as well. My point is that blacks and whites had to work together to make HipHop happen. Then banks criticizes Iggy for doing the SAME thing Nicki does. Nicki is hyper sexualized (Anaconda!!!!) and displays several characters. Banks is posing for PLAYBOY but says that Iggy is being hyper sexual??? Iggy is emulating YOU BLACK WOMEN...Lil Kim, Gangsta Boo, Nicki Minaj, Foxxy Brown...all these are black women who sold sex to get a record deal. Iggy followed the black female rapper blueprint. Last time I checked Iggy has no plans to pose nude for the world to see. This chick is the BIGGEST hypocrite in the world!!!!! She is SUPER insecure about a lot of s h i t that means nothing.

If an aborigine from Australia came to the US and launched a country music career with the whole grammar and twang and style of singing like Kenny Rogers, would that pass as authentic or as a parody of white culture???..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Then why is it okay when you guys do it??

She is the moment

When she admitted "i like porn" i Wuz like RESPECT +++++

She raises some interesting points about cultural appropriation and the stigma felt by a minority verses the fetishisation enjoyed by the empowered majority over the same traits. Yet I can't agree with her over her desire to segregate Black culture from the rest of the world, which for the most part is governed by White culture. To me culture is an ideal; a coalescence of feelings that can't be herded, it bleeds into people crosses all walks of life. I'd much rather we as a species give Black culture its due and let it blend into whatever it will become in the future.

This reporter is very antagonistic style. he counteracted all of her ideas and probably had some big wig producer egging him on in his ears because they wanted an Azelia Banks meltdown exclusive.

I am on this woman's side above all other 'celeb' women

great interview, though too brief. He's not afraid to push or ask a tough question, and she was calm, warm, and articulate with her answers. People aren't going to agree with everything, but it goes a long way to dismiss the "troll" accusations, plus it's an interesting look at what drives one of the most creative women in pop today.

That's my favorite side of her personality.

i want laurynl hill and Azealia banks to make a collabo like right now, they make a good match, and they both have a thing for politics

'We don't want you in, the same we you didn't want us in.' Azealia Banks did you just say that you want to be racist the same way the majority of white people used to be racist? You're arguing that you're not a racist but contradict yourself by saying that the way races make music should be segregated and different and individual to that particular race. You are the modern racist - a biggoted and twisted girl who beleives that black and white people cannot share the same traits. You say we HAVE to segregate. You sicken me.

BWET is one of the greatest albums of the last 30 years and I feel sorry for anyone who can’t see or hear that.

The responses to this interview just go to show that no matter "nicely" people talk about issues like race, it makes no difference. She's so calm in this interview(because this is one of the rare times people aren't baiting to antagonize her) and people are still perceiving so much hostility from her.

When I first started hearing of Azealia I really did not like her. I thought her music was overrated and she was just gaining a following through twitter shade. But after listening to her interviews and getting some insight into her mind and listening to her music again, she's actually one of my favorite artists. She has some insightful things to say and is VERY underrated. If people can get past the shock value and their own mindsets, they'll see that she's very smart and has a lot of truth to spill when it comes to the state of America, our view on Black culture, and more than just a typical artist. I really hope she gets the recognition she deserves.

I love her she is so honest... And keeps it real..

4:36 she's not having it 😆

she is nothing like some of the press portrays, I see a very intelligent woman whom I'd be proud to say I know

She's not racist, she just wants to preserve whats left of her culture. Yeah, she says white rappers shouldn't act black, but that's because they're characterizing black culture and making it theirs. She has a good point of view on equality, and you'd understand if you just don't be too narrow-minded about these problems.

This girl speaks nothing but TRUTH ♥

She is so trapped in this whole race shit

She is very smart....but that "quick wig" on her head needs to go!

She's such a racist and so hateful too, pretty sad

Say what you want about her, but most of the points she makes are valid, and the conversation has never been more relevant. The same people calling her out about being vocal on #blacklivesmatter are the same people currently with a black square on their instagram, make it make sense 🤨🤔

Interviews like this is what makes me love her even more.

"Truly be a part of it" it means, don't take advantage of black or any culture without respecting and knowing the true struggles of the. "Don't be a caricature"

This is a Black American thing... Black people outside of the US really don't care... Black Americans need to stop speaking for their entire race..

she is so beautiful, not just her looks, but her personality. I feel like she is the only rapper right now who is standing up for black rights

Love this young lady,She is so correct about everything she says and a lot of people don't like it.

She is so right. I'm getting sick of the Culture Vultures too. It's not just hiphop either it's the way we dress the way we walk the way we talk the way we cut our hair, the mimicry has gone above and far beyond pathetic. Get off our fkng dks. You wanna hate us and be us at the same time.

U just HAVE to love Azaelia Banks. Every word that she says is on point. My grandma always tells me about when her uncle used to work on a ship back in the days, there were so many different races, ethnicities and cultures there. But people who he found the most honest and nice and good were Black people. Not American white, not European white, but Black people. And that's true. ❤️

Interviewer did zero research on this girl. She's def awesome and this ages really well.

She's just too cute.

She makes a great point

It's her reality it's what she has seen she can never be wrong for speaking her truth.

Really disliked his comment when regarding Azealia's feminism; suggesting that because she's a playboy model she is no longer a feminist. Being a feminist means equal rights for all. That includes supporting women that wear full body garbs to women that only wear bikinis or nothing at all. It's support and RESPECT for everyone.

I love her honesty and her courage to speak it. Love her!

Who is this dude interviewing her? She is making all the points in the world. Do your thing Azealia, cuz I feel you on this. Self-preservation is key, WE made R&B, Soul, Rock and Roll, and Hip - Hop. So long as that's recognized and understood, we good.

Y'all do realize that when she says "white people" or "all white people", she doesn't literally mean ALL white people. If you don't appropriate black culture (or any other culture for that matter) than what she says doesn't apply to you. She's talking about the people that do appropriate cultures. But I do agree that sometimes she can go a little overboard, but that's just because she wants more people to listen to what she's saying, so y'all can get educated. And not y'all saying that she's being a hypocrite because of her wearing weave/wigs lmao. Y'all honestly sound so dumb and ignorant when you say things like that. Because we all know that if Azealia wouldn't wear wigs or weave, and kept her hair natural, everybody would be clowning her. A lot of black people wear weave and wigs, because society makes us feel like if we don't have perfect, smooth, soft hair, than were ugly. She's only 23 and she has made a name for herself. No matter how much you dislike her, you cannot deny that she has talent, because not many people can spit like her. She's a true rapper who's pushing down boundaries.

azealia banks is actually a pretty girl, she just need to learn how to express herself, without acting so inappropriate at times.

What a sweet girl and so strong for Black people. Every thing she said during this interview is true.

this interviewer is borderline. I feel kinda tense but man its exciting at the same time. I could watch these two in a series man.

Her dark skin was so beautiful...

What a beautiful soul, seriously she's an amazing woman. Shame she never got to be a huge household name, could be because she was a tough, black woman. She was insanely talented and extremely enlighten. She was as meticulous and relatable as could be in this interview. So intelligent and quick, a personality like her's should be admire not demonized. Wish her the best in everything, because its tough to be a honest and straightforward woman. Always would have a person like this's back and will listen to her realist points that she is so capable of vocalizing.

Soooo truee , love her

I like her so much and she's beautiful

the fact that white people come and try to give lessons on what "racism" is and what it isn't, says alot actually. *sips tea*

stop dissing artist on twitter and go make a hit

I love azelia buuuut she all over the place with this

Why do so many black people act like they inherently get special rights to hip-hop just because they have similar skin tone to the people that started it?

She is so beautiful to me her teeth and smile.

shes so harlem... new york girl. keeps it real. i fuckkin love her

Wow this girl is smart she makes a lot good points

i love her and I love her album, and she spoke nothing but facts here

But how come she didn't touch on various black celebrities appropriating Asian culture? I see it all the time with Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, etc.

she is right on everything!!!!

I love her shes the best female rapper in the game She's actually saying something in her raps

Always speaking the truth love azealia

Look, we all live on the same planet and we all breath the same oxygen, I'm white and I absolutely adore this woman and I can totally see and understand her opinions and I don't think she is racist; I just think she is a very eccentric woman with a very big ego which is totally okay. What really annoys me is that if we're all from the same planet then who the fuck actually cares what belongs to to whoever. It's ours and we all have the right to choose what we do and how we can express whatever there is to express regardless of skin colour/ethnicity/religion etc. It just really upsets me to see people still having a problem with people's skin colour, who the fuck actually cares we're from the same place. Peace.

She has valid points, it's unfortunate her powerful words are overshadowed by her drama.

she's one of my favorite fellow humans

I dont agree with everything she says but its interesting to hear her points and some of them are very valid.

Why don't you guys try to educate yourselves in all of the subjects they are talking about before commenting anything at all?

I love Azealia Banks!!! She is gorgeous too!!

there's my mother's shirt I been looking for it all day !

Im not white. Theyre speaking a white language, wearing white clothes probably manufactured somewhere in Asia and are in a predominantly white, multiethnic country. Whom are you to decide what can be shared between cultures and what cannot?

A SUPERPOWER of a woman. So articulate. John Snow is the real deal and brings out the best in people.

5:38 made me fucken laugh idk why

Sweet hearted, humble, passionate, and a leader......azealia banks but hey they dint see that.....misunderstood

Her music is absolutely amazing

I need the unedited version please

she straitens her hair and wears European clothing, and complains about cultural appropriation? Money don't buy intelligence does it .

She's not saying "white people shouldn't do rap." She's saying white people shouldn't only incorporate the "fun" parts of black culture.

AMAZING INTERVIEW

I respect her views on institutional racism, but complaining about white women with big lips and butts? This is coming from someone with artificially straightened hair who has admitted to bleaching her skin...and lets not forget the blatant racial and homophobic comments that she so proudly boasts for the public.

No one is being shot in the street just for being black. It’s about the behavior of the people being shot

I think behaviors are learned. I think Azealia is so strong for being who she is, and not changing with all these cameras in her face. I love her music. I love her character. I agree that there are so many wrongs with this country, and it's up to us to try to make it right in our life times. Getting the discussion started is the first step. You are strong, you are beautiful, and you are using your powerful voice for all the right reasons. Love you!

This is proof that time travel exists, they brought this women from a 100 years ago to speak her mind today.

I wish Azealia spoke like this more often. She's such an intelligent woman and she has such an important opinion and if people listened to her like this and listened to her music they'd release how amazing she is as an artist who recognises her position in the world and the power she has to affect things. IN SAYING THAT THOUGH I hate some of the things she says online, sending people tweets like "i hope your father molests you in your sleep". It really amazes me that she can be so poised here and be an offensive mess sometimes on twitter. I'm so torn.

6:16 - 6.25 😂😂😂😂 the interviewer... Bless him!!