Iggy Azalea and Azealia Banks may share a similar moniker, but that’s about all they have in common. Over the past six years, the two femcees have been at odds with one another, usually hashing out their differences over social media. But it looks like both ladies are just about ready to wave the white flag. After Banks entertained the idea of the two reaching a reconciliation, Azalea issued a formal statement on Snapchat, suggesting she was all for the new girl power movement.
“I just want to say FYI; re A. Banks. Call me crazy but girl; I don’t hate you. I don’t know you to hate you,” the “Fancy” artist wrote in a statement addressed to her former rival. “I believe you may want to meet me in person so you can steal a lock of my hair and cast a spell hoping I die (lol). I don’t agree with many of your opinions, but honestly, at times I empathize with you as a creative Gemini woman.”
She also attempted to explain her side of the battle, which originally stemmed from a war of words over Iggy’s comments in her 2012 XXL Freshman cover story. “I wish you had spoken to me before deciding I was out to get you when we first came on the scene, but that’s also typical Gemini reaction shit (I get it). As a 27 year old adult woman just know: I wish you well from one human to another and joke collaboration or not as adults we should move past trivial beef with strangers,” she added.
Shortly after Azalea made her feelings public, the “Chi Chi” artist reached out to XXL, showing the same sentiment, but on one, small condition. “I think a true reconciliation can happen once there is some acknowledgment of what hip-hop has been trying to tell her,” the Harlem rapper said. “I still don’t think she quite understands the effect her racial privilege and the socio-economic leverage that comes with it has on a marginalized group of women’s culture.”
The rapper went on to discuss the complexities of women’s issues, saying, “I hope that there will be a chance for us to have an open discussion about this, as I feel America and the world could really benefit from some candid discourse between two public figures about the world’s biggest sickness: racism.” “I wish for women of the future to be able to refer to this moment in women’s culture as an example of what can happen when people take time to understand,” her statement concluded.
Iggy and Azealia may not be all the way ready to make amends, but if they’re both willing to have a conversation, that’s a huge step in the right direction. Maybe they could teach Nicki Minaj and Remy Ma a thing or two about that.