Rapper Azealia Banks‘ breakout hit “212” was released in 2012, and in a recent interview with Spotify, singer Troye Sivan cited the track as his go-to pregame song he listens to before heading out for the night. Banks responded with a lengthy statement insulting the singer’s looks and music, masking thinly veiled homophobia. The statement is being met with widespread backlash from Sivan’s fans.
Troye Sivan talking about Azealia' 212.pic.twitter.com/HT4lGxFfmy
— KNIGHT ROHIT (@SRKzMessenger) November 8, 2023
Azealia Banks responds to Troye Sivan stating her track ‘212’ is his ‘go-to pregame’ song, via Instagram stories. pic.twitter.com/i04f6P0IJ3
— Pop Base (@PopBase) November 8, 2023
Banks’ story appeared to reference a common right wing argument wrongfully linking transgender people and drag queens with pedophilia. Sivan recently released a music video for his track “One Of Your Girls,” filmed alongside fellow musician Ross Lynch. The singer dressed in drag for the video, and is widely regarded as an emerging queer icon in the music industry.
Fans of Sivan continue to defend him, as he only had positive things to say about Banks’ music.
Girl calm down, he was appreciating your music. The last bit of relevancy you have beside your temper tantrums. You got issues if you really finding a problem out of everything.
— steven ❀ (@arianaunext) November 8, 2023
azealia as soon as someone appreciates her music: pic.twitter.com/qiyFqoQtg4
— sebastián (@lovingcmila) November 8, 2023
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Many additionally pointed out that the rapper is no stranger to controversy, and that she could have easily taken Sivan’s compliment as an opportunity to turn a new leaf.
she thought she ate😭
— juaan (@juaangng_) November 8, 2023
Others call for Sivan to delete her music off his playlists after how she treated him.
Troye, baby, just delete the song off your playlists 😭
— steven ❀ (@arianaunext) November 8, 2023
Azealia Banks’ Controversies
The New York native rapper, known for her several hit tracks including “212”, has made plenty of her own questionable moves throughout her music career. Notably, Banks once exhumed her deceased pet cat for “taxidermy purposes”, and later alleged that she practiced witchcraft.
Additionally, Banks made xenophobic comments regarding Irish people. The Irish Times quoted her referring to Irish women as “oompa-loompa looking, spray-tanned, crazy-looking b****es tonight. The girls have scurvy, they’re vitamin deficient, need some calcium tablets.”
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After this incident, Banks was banned from X after slinging several racist slurs towards singer-songwriter Zayn Malik, who is half Pakistani. Previously, the rapper spoke on Taylor Swift’s past alleged relationship with the controversial frontman of the 1975, Matty Healy. Healy has made a number of racially insensitive comments about a number of groups, and specifically towards rapper Ice Spice. Despite the rapper’s harsh words towards a number of popular musicians, she continues to only speak highly of Swift, and recently defended her amid record companies changing contracts due to the success of her album re-recordings.
Sivan is yet to respond to Banks’ Instagram story about him and his music. The singer’s third album “Something To Give Each Other” was released last month to widespread critical and listener acclaim.
