Azealia Banks is ready to walk away from rap and the labels attached to women in the industry. “I don’t want to be called a rapper. or a fem-cee, or a ‘spitta’ or any of that sh*t,” she wrote on Facebook. Her announcement trails the release of her acoustic cover of João Gilberto’s “Chega De Saudade” on Thursday (June 23).
While Slay-Z may be Azealia’s latest mixtape, it won’t be the last we see of the artist as she has no plans of quitting the music business altogether. “I want to be called a singer now,” she continued. “I’m honestly tired of rapping, the rap scene and the whole rap-girl persona.”
The 25-year-old revealed that while rap paid her bills when her acting career didn’t take off, it has also overshadowed her singing aspirations. “Rap has been SUCH diversion for me, and it’s probably the reason [I] feel so lost and off my path,” she admitted.
Recently, Azealia’s name has been plastered throughout the media for seemingly everything but her music, so it’ll be interesting to see if a shift occurs once she begins working on projects that reflect her change in direction.