Azealia Banks Brands Russell Crowe A “Racist, Misogynist Pig,” Reportedly Ditches RZA Deal

Robbie Daw | October 19, 2016 2:34 pm

Not content with the version of the Azealia Banks vs. Russell Crowe throwdown from last weekend that was reported by TMZ, volcanic rapstress Banks has now given an interview with UK paper The Sun to put her spin on the fracas. Bottom line? “I think he’s a racist, misogynist pig,” Banks says of the actor.

First, for those who missed it the first time around, a recap: Banks is said to have attended a party in Gladiator star Crowe’s suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Saturday (October 15), where she was the guest of fellow party-goer RZA. According to TMZ, Azealia was soon heard mocking Crowe’s selection of music at the shindig and branding the group “boring white men.” The site notes that “a female guest jumped to Russell’s defense and suggested Banks pipe down.” Banks allegedly offered this fairly diplomatic retort: “You would love it if I broke my glass, stabbed you guys in the throat, and blood would squirt everywhere like some real Tarantino shit.”

TMZ also stated that Banks peppered her response with a few N bombs, though witnesses say host Crowe remained calm throughout the tirade, and that it was only when Banks reached for a glass that “he grabbed her in a bear hug and carried her out of the suite. He then called hotel security guards who removed Azealia from the grounds.”

Now Banks has turned to The Sun, because, as she states, “This is a stain on me. My ­femininity feels stained. I feel stained as a woman, I feel mishandled, I feel mistreated, I feel dirty. I feel very fucking low.”

Per the British paper, other guests at Crowe’s party included film director Ridley Scott, Swedish singer Elliphant and comedian Jim Jefferies. This is what Banks told told the publication:

“Russell had moonshine on the table, and then Russell calls for whisky, so then they just start mixing them up. You know, moonshine, whisky, vodka, and smoking cigarettes and smoking weed.

“Russell and I get next to each other. He’s talking to me, I’m talking to him, and we start flirting. We’re having a really good time. He’s got his knee on my knee, he’s touching my leg, I’m playing him my music, he tweets my song The Big Big Beat. He’s like, ‘I love this, you’re ­beautiful, this is great.’

“So the party goes on. But there was one girl who I guess was his girlfriend.She gets next to me and I guess this is just her chance to try and size me up and see what I’m about. And she’s in my ear and she’s like, ‘Yeah, Russell thinks you’re so hot.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, really? Well that’s on you girl.’ You know, I’m not here for that.”

Then Sun indicates that things apparently took a turn when Banks admittedly began mocking an “aspiring horror film maker”:

“Russell just kind of switched. He was like, ‘Well you know what? You’re young and you’ve never done anything in your career so you don’t know what you’re ­talking about.’ I’m a little offended but I was still keeping it light. I was like, ‘Your best days are behind you.’”

Then, according to Azealia, another female party-goer stepped into the situation:

“I said, ‘Girl, this is not the right time or place for us to be fighting, like what would happen if I got up and I slapped the shit out of you, or I took a glass and fucking threw it at you and you were bleeding all over the place? I would be wrong and we’d all be wrong, and the party would be done.’

“Then Russell turns to me and he goes, ‘Well, you wouldn’t even get close enough to get the chance, n*****.’ And he says the word n***** so, like, quietly, under his breath. He calls me a n*****, and then grabs me, picks me up, he chokes me by the throat, picks me up, throws me out of the room and then spits on me.”

The paper notes that Banks filed a police report for battery the following day, but not a racism report, as her reps claimed that “there is no charge for being called a racial slur once in the US.”

Sun sources also claim at least four witnesses for Crowe are believed to have given statements to police, with all of them describing the rapper as having acted “erratic” during the party.

In related news, TMZ reported today that a business deal between Banks and her party date RZA has broken down. Sources told the site that Azealia had been negotiating an arrangement for three weeks to sign with RZA’s label, but that’s now off the table given this past week’s events.

This is, of course, just another footnote in the never-ending saga of Azealia Banks label drama.

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