The former governor of Alaska has stated that she will take legal action against rapper Banks over a series of profanity-laced tweets the latter posted against her.
“For the first time I’m going to enjoy the only retribution some protected ‘celebrities’ seem to understand,” Palin told People Magazine. “I’m suing Azealia Banks and can’t wait to share my winnings with others who have gone defenseless against lies and dangerous attacks far too long.”
Moments after Palin revealed her intentions, Banks fired back with a thinly veiled retort dressed as an apology. Posted on her Tumblr — because 140 characters simply wasn’t enough to express the groundswell of emotion the rapper was feeling — the statement addresses everything from the commonalities between the two sparring women and the “critical white gaze” of which black stereotypes are, according to Banks, one proponent.
“As i am an artist. I cherish my ability to express myself freely, yet remain totally aware that for every action, there will be a reaction. All in All, Woman to Woman, I hope you will accept my sincerest apology,” concludes Banks, before adding a teen pregnancy swipe at Palin’s daughter, Bristol.
The beef between the two outspoken ladies started when rapper Banks tweeted a response to Palin’s controversial statement regarding slavery. In her now deleted tweets, the rapper (who is no stranger to controversy) stated that the Republican politician should indulge in sexual acts with black men before commenting on such sensitive issues, to put it politely. Banks also added that the ensuing exploits should be recorded and uploaded to WorldStarHipHop, an infamous site known for publishing violent video clips. Palin obviously wasn’t impressed.
“I’ve had enough of the unanswered threats and attacks against my family and me,” Palin said in her statement. “Azealia engages in a form of racism and hate that is celebrated by some in the perverted arm of pop culture, but is condemned by those who know it’s tearing our country apart.”
In her Tumblr post, Banks clarified that she never claimed that Palin should be “raped,” and that the “right-wing conservative media” had twisted both her, and Palin’s, words.
“In my honest defense, i was completely kidding. I happen to have a really crass, New-York-City sense of humor, and regularly make silly jokes in attempts make light of situations which make me uncomfortable,” writes Banks. “As the fabric of the American Nation is EMBEDDED with racism, I merely made a raCIALly driven joke to counter what i believed to be real, raCIST rhetoric.”
In the past, celebrities have sued others for what they deemed as libellous tweets. Most recently, actor James Woods was allowed the right to take legal action against an anonymous Twitter abuser. In 2014, singer Courtney Love won a landmark Twitter libel case, in which a Los Angeles county jury decided that she did not defame her former attorney in a tweet.
