*Azealia Banks has once again ignited a firestorm online, this time by challenging the Black community to abandon the N-word before criticizing others for using it.
The Harlem-born rapper made the controversial statement on June 21 via X (formerly Twitter), responding to a post by fellow artist Anycia, who had urged non-Black people to stop using the term.
“Everyone in the world can say and do what they want,” Banks wrote, arguing that Black people have “no reason to be upset” about others using the slur when they “run around calling each other such an ugly word because we can’t expand our vocabulary.”
She emphasized that “if we want people to let it go, we have to do so first,” adding that “African people do not use that word.”
As Vibe reports, her remarks were met with immediate backlash, with critics slamming Banks for hypocrisy. “You the same person that be dragging celebrities for their blackness though,” one user wrote. Another added, “Azealia Banks is the type to gatekeep Blackness when it’s trending, then fold the second a white rapper bats their lashes.”
No. Everyone in the world can say and do what they want and black people really have no reason to be upset about it as offensive while we run around calling each other such an ugly word because we can’t expand our vocabulary.
If we want people to let it go, we have to do so… https://t.co/jbL59dhTC6
— Azealia Banks (@azealiaslacewig) June 21, 2025
A third commenter noted, “Why tf do [we] have to not use ‘ni**a’, a part of our cultural dialect, to appease other cultures and races because it’s not ‘inclusive’. Our vocabulary as culture is EXPANSIVE and it includes the word ni**a. It’s always dumb a**es like you who want to appease the same muthaf**kas that spat on you.”
Others brought up past performances where white audience members used the slur without objection from Banks, questioning her stance and integrity.
While she framed her statement as a call for leadership within the Black community, many viewed it as tone-deaf and divisive.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Azealia Banks Criticizes Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Cover, Calling It ‘White Woman Cosplay’
Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
