WOC Talents Cardi B, Azelia Banks, Rita Ora + Feud Over Degrading Cultural Dialogue
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Good goddess! Just three weeks ago, AOC had rapper Cardi B educating us on the Roosevelts. She named every American president backwards, or something to that effect. We extolled her intelligence, very abundant in her May 2018 GQ interview with Caity Weaver.
And now, all hell broke lose in an verbal-only brawl between Azelia Banks -- representing intelligent, cultivated women rappers like her -- and Cardi B, who reminds her of an "illiterate, untalented rat" and a "caricature of a black woman."
Banks continued in her Friday interview on the popular radio program 'The Breakfast Club' with her main argument: "Two years ago, the conversation surrounding black women’s culture was really reaching an all-time high. There was just this really, really, really intelligent conversation going on nationally and then everything just kind of changed and then it was like Cardi B.”
Cardi B had a few choice words about Banks in response, defending herself, her rapper personal and her musical style, saying:
“I’m from the hood. I speak how I speak I am how I am. I did not choose to be famous people choose me! People followed me on Instagram and the people gave me a platform to introduce my talent. I never asked to be a example or a role model I don’t want to change my ways because I’m famous that’s why I just mind my business. This is coming from a woman that bleached her skin but want to advocate. GOODBYE. I’m not apologizing or kill myself because of who I am.”
As for her being 'illiterate', Cardi B weighed in: “Just because I mix a few words up forget to use commas or misspell a few words,” she wrote, “doesn’t make me illiterate and doesn’t make me stupid.”
And THEN, and THEN Cardi B deleted her entire Instagram account. GONE! On Monday morning, it remains GONE. Ladies, please -- it's bad enough that over 40 people have died in the West Bank this morning, as the US opens its new embassy in Jerusalem. Couldn't you have an old-fashioned debate or something a bit calmer.
We know nothing about female rappers, except to report on them when they influence style and culture. But having read countless interviews with women over the years, I would not call Cardi B 'illiterate'. Can Azelia Banks explain the history of social security? BTW, Cardi B also had choice words about her history with the Bloods, and I'm sure she's sorry that 'Invasion of Privacy' had 202.6 million streams of album tracks in a week vs Beyonce's 115 million for 'Lemonade'. Let the woman apologize for this success, if she must.
Rita Ora On 'Girls'
Rita Ora Is Not Your Average Pop Star In Rory Payne Images For Sunday Times Style May 6, 2018
This is the second story I've read this morning, about one female talent slamming another for her lyrics and persona. Rita Ora was taking heat for her song 'Girls', with guests Cardi B, Bebe Rexha and Charli XCX on the track. This dialogue is far calmer and less accusatory.
Ora gave an interview to People Magazine, saying that she wants the song to be a bisexual anthem. When asked if she considers herself to be bisexual, Rita Ora's response was ambiguous. "If people look at it like that, it's very narrow-minded and I don't think that's what this record is. I don't think that that even matters", she said.
Singer and actress Hayley Kiyoko was one of the first to speak out against the track in an Instagram post picked up by BBC News. Writing in a non-judgmental voice, Kiyoko closed out her thoughts: ". . . every so often there come certain songs with mesaging that is just downright tone-deaf, which does more harm than good for the LGBTQ+ community. A song like this just fuels the male gaze while marginalizing the idea of women loving women."
Watching the video around Agent Provocateur's Fall 2017 lingerie campaign, I made precisely the same critique about using the idea of gay and bi women to fuel the male gaze. The 'Tease &Hustle' video in particular was all in for men, as far as we're concerned,
