Cheap Shots: Stop Picking On Azealia Banks!

Azealia Banks is an easy target.

The brash, mouthy, VIBE cover girl is opinionated to say the least, and even before her debut album has dropped, she’s racked up plenty of famous frenemies to keep the ‘puters ‘puting. But Banks’ tiffs aren’t relegated to female artists like Nicki Minaj (Azealia turned down the opportunity to tour with Nicki), Iggy Azalea (Apparently sharing a name didn’t bring these two together) and Kreayshawn (They’ve since kissed and made up), she’s now waging war on fellow Harlem rapper Jim Jones.

Like most pointless beefs in 2012, the feud started innocently enough on Twitter. In early August, Azealia tweeted, "VAMP: a very sexually/financially powerful woman who is usually characterized by a penchant for dark things; nighttime, witchcraft, .. Etc.”, which Jim Jones, who has tried to create a lifestyle known as “Vampire Life,” took major offense to. A slew of back-and-forth shots have been taken on Twitter, both obvious and subliminal, including Jones tweeting, “@AZEALIABANKS u better check th credits boo we ain’t just start vampin we are vampin u r welcome to join it’s a lifestyle #vampirelife” and " tell ur mother go away ub2 bit slore.” Azealia even took her anger to music with the diss track “Succubi” in which she airs Jim out.

Is it just me or is there something very wrong with this picture? A grown-ass man should never fight with a 21-year-old girl and moreover, there’s something downright unfair about taking shots at someone completely unguarded. Unlike her contemporaries, Azealia doesn’t have a huge entourage/extended crew to help her fight her battles. There is no Lil’ Wayne to her Nicki, no T.I. to her Iggy Azeala, not even a Young Gav to her Foxy Brown. She’s a brand new artist, all by herself, literally swinging at any and everything in her path. Her outbursts are probably more fear-driven than real cockiness, so why play upon her insecurities? Beefs are only fun when opponents are evenly matched (See: Nas vs. Jay-Z in 2001) and Jim Jones versus Azealia Banks is more akin to shooting a guppy in a barrel.

Advice to all artists: Azealia is the bratty little sister who will leave you and your friends alone if you ignore her. Don’t add fuel to her fire or give her attention unless you want to elicit a reaction. And Jimmy, if you’re going to fight, we support you. Just pick on someone your own size. —Sowmya Krishnamurthy (@SowmyaK)