Will Azealia Banks pick a fight at Les Nuits?

She voted for Trump, calls Putin her favourite supervillain, and antagonises the LGBTQ+ community. And yet, Les Nuits added an extra night to its line-up for the controversial American rapper Azealia Banks.

“We could start a ri-i-i-iot, start a riot,” Azealia Banks boasted in the song “Riot” on Slay-Z, a mixtape she released nine years ago. In the past decade, the American hip-hop and R&B artist has made causing controversy her raison d'être. “I like conflict and command,” she clarifies further in the same track, “I like battle hand in hand.” This is no empty boast. The list of artists the New York rapper has antagonised is now endless, from Cardi B and Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar and Doechii. In 2016, her headline slot at London's Born & Bred Festival was cancelled after she had launched into a racist tirade against former One Direction singer Zayn Malik. She later apologised, but Twitter (now X) temporarily suspended her account.

Banks targets not only her music industry competitors and colleagues; entire communities regularly face her wrath. In 2015, she compared the LGBTQ+ community to “the gay white KKK's”. In 2020 and 2021, she made several transphobic statements about trans women, specifically concerning gender-affirming healthcare and surgery. In 2019 Banks called a flight attendant from Aer Lingus an “ugly Irish bitch”, after which she apologised to her Irish fans, calling herself the “Queen of Ireland”.

And then there's her murky political stance. Banks saw Trump as a saviour during his first term, swore not to vote for him in the second round, backed Kamala Harris, but ultimately ticked the box for Trump anyway. She labelled the president a “hero” and went to one of his rallies in Florida. Then, two weeks ago on X, the social media platform where she remains one of the few very active artists, she proclaimed: “I think it's time everyone who voted for Trump admit that we made a fucking mess. Like this is an absolute disaster.” Not so long ago, the singer casually called Putin her “favorite super villain ever.” “This is so politically incorrect, but I really fucking love Putin,” she added on Instagram.

No Milkshake

Banks' controversial statements led the organisers of Amsterdam's Milkshake festival, taking place this summer, to decide in early February to remove her from the line-up. Milkshake champions diversity and is popular with queer people. After some festivalgoers indicated they would not feel safe in Banks' presence, the organisation cancelled her show. “It is clear to us that we made a mistake and that we have overlooked essential information. We sincerely apologize for this,” read a statement.

Banks' reaction was not long in coming. “THE GAYS ARE SO TYPICAL LMAOOO,” she fumed on X. “This has nooooothing to do with politics and everything to do with the fact that them gays running the festival DEFLEE are taking the investors money and spending the budget on like 5,000 kilos of cocaine, ketamine mdma drag costumes cat litter and poppers.” If you book Azealia, you know what time it is, and what you're going to hear, she added later. “Not just about the LGBTQ+ community but about all sorts of fucking communities. And about myself. The festival didn't do its research properly.”

A question we put to Thomas Konings, booker at Botanique: did Les Nuits do its research properly? “We haven't checked everything she may or may not have said,” Konings clarifies. “But I can confirm that no artist has ever been debated as intensely as Azealia Banks. After extensive deliberation, we decided to go ahead anyway and give her a spot on the Les Nuits line-up.”

Do her musical merits outweigh her grotesque statements? “Banks is a challenging artist; in the early 2010s, she was one of the most innovative voices in hip hop and R&B,” Konings states. Banks broke through in 2011 with the raw track “212”, a song about sexual freedom and female power that made the word “cunt”, well, socially acceptable. The groundbreaking track was labelled one of the best songs of the 2010s by Rolling Stone and Billboard, leading magazines in the US. “There's no doubt she has made her mark on the hip-hop scene,” confirms Konings.

So far, Banks has released only one studio album, 2014's Broke with Expensive Taste. “Thank you for continuing to support me, through the ups and downs, and all the bullshit,” she said when we saw her mixing rap with trance and club anthems with much bravado at the Vooruit in Ghent that year. Additionally, she self-released several mixtapes showcasing her edgy mix of hip hop, electronica, and R&B. A daring sound palette that also led to collaborations with Diplo and Hudson Mohawke, progressive figures from the electronic scene.

In 2013, Banks performed at Rock Werchter as a newcomer, but she hasn't performed in Belgium since her show at the Vooruit. “We heard positive comments about her new tour and didn't want to miss the unique opportunity to bring her back to Belgium,” says Konings. “Musically, we felt she was an absolute fit for Les Nuits.”

Troll or truth

It is absolutely true that Azealia Banks has been musically groundbreaking. But one could also argue that her artistic output never quite lived up to the expectations created by her single “212”. In recent years, she had flown under the radar; nowadays, Banks is more of a cult favourite than a next big thing. She commands attention more through her statements than her music. “You could see her provocative attitude as a kind of business model,” argues Konings, who wonders if the way Banks behaves isn't one big performance. “I do think she's very aware of what she's doing. And she has realised this controversial persona works for her.”

There was once also a widespread fan theory that Kanye West's meltdown was a performance, inspired by the German visual artist Joseph Beuys. “I understand the reference to Kanye when discussing Azealia Banks,” says Konings, “but her statements are less hateful. And she constantly contradicts herself. For every problematic opinion, there's usually another one that adjusts your view of her. It goes in all directions; she is very contradictory. Which also makes it difficult to form a final judgment about her: is she telling the truth or is she just an annoying troll?”

Konings did not let Milkshake's decision alarm him, Les Nuits booked Banks only after they cancelled her show. He understands their decision, but he says a counter-narrative is emerging that accuses the organisers of acting like a white privileged elite, sidelining a black artist with a big mouth. “You could see it as racism or a class issue. There's intellectual capital built or passed on within certain societal circles, to which a black woman might have less access.”

Banks herself is part of the queer community; the singer came out as bisexual several years ago. Her brother is a trans person. This makes her ambiguous stance even more confusing. Can someone who struggles personally with trauma, mental health, and marginalisation simultaneously be perpetrator and victim? “She also strongly criticised J.K. Rowling and her discourse on trans people, despite being a huge Harry Potter fan,” says Konings.

Botanique nevertheless called Banks a “queer icon” when announcing her show. “We got some flak for that,” says Konings. “But otherwise, the comments were positive. Banks' following within the queer community remains large. I think many queer people understand the struggles she herself has been through. The fact that we are giving headline status to a black, queer woman shows that we value diversity as a festival.”

Stuck in Elon's basement

The list of artists with skeletons in their closets is endless – from David Bowie's “Hitler was one of the first rock stars” statement to Tyler, the Creator's misogynistic remarks about Taylor Swift. Has the concert programmer's job become more complicated now that every statement or action by an artist ends up under the magnifying glass on social media? “It certainly hasn't become any easier,” Konings agrees, “precisely because we know much more about what goes on in the private lives of various artists. But on the other hand, I'm actually grateful for that. Better that than not knowing who you're booking, only to find out that the artist performing at your festival behaves like a jerk on stage or backstage. We always strive to create a safe working environment and concert experience for everyone.”

Just recently, the organisers removed the Parisian rapper Winnterzuko from the Les Nuits line-up after it emerged he had been accused of sexual misconduct. “Some boundaries are very clear, others are somewhat blurrier,” says Konings. “If Lizzo wanted to make a comeback, I would be willing to give her a second chance. But figuring out how to do that isn't easy.”

Les Nuits is not taking extra measures for Banks, but according to Konings, they are working on a charter that artists will be required to sign. However you look at it, Banks is a risk. Not just for festivals that book her but also for herself. In a time when the cultural climate is becoming increasingly polarised, where the US officially recognises only two sexes and the UK Supreme Court no longer calls trans women women, there is less room than ever for ambiguity. Fans buying a ticket for her show know what to expect, says Konings. “She's already in Europe. In every new city, she seems to have a new opinion. Of course, I'm a little afraid, but mostly I'm curious about what she'll say about Brussels.”

Perhaps she'll rant about Elon Musk. “Apparently, she was once locked in Musk's basement at his LA house for days to collaborate with Grimes,” Konings laughs “But Grimes never showed up. At the time Musk was considering taking Tesla private, Banks was tweeting live from that basement that he was on acid.” A very bizarre story, but simultaneously typical of her. In Azealia Banks' universe, the lines between performance and reality, between satire and despair, become blurred.