Azealia Banks has pegged down both Kendrick Lamar and JAY-Z while uplifting Drake in her latest lengthy Twitter rant.
The controversial New York-bred rapper has once again stirred the pot with her unfiltered opinions, this time weighing in on Drake’s legal battle against Universal Music Group (UMG) over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us.”
Responding to a fan’s criticism of Drake taking legal action, Banks not only defended the Toronto rapper but also went as far as crowning him the greatest rapper of all time—surpassing even JAY-Z. As if the hot take wasn’t eyebrow raising enough, the logic behind Banks’ argument surely is, as she starts off the rant by claiming that Drake is indeed much tougher than the “street” rappers he’s beefing with.
“Well, the fact that all the rest of the so-called gangsta n##### who have been f##### by the industry in every hole and tossed off a bridge would never have the financial resources, leverage, or balls to sue UMG for fear of being killed, but have no problem killing one another, ultimately makes Drake the best rapper of all time,” Banks wrote.
Well, the fact that all the rest of the so called gangsta n##### who have been f##### by the industry in every hole and tossed off a bridge would never have the financial resources, leverage or balls to sue UMG for fear of being killed, but have no problem killing one another.… https://t.co/WIq6a1huwm
— Azealia Banks (@azealiaslacewig) February 18, 2025
Banks emphasized that not even JAY-Z, who has become a legal juggernaut and is in the midst of suing attorney Tony Buzbee over the recently dismissed Jane Doe sexual assault lawsuit, has ever made such a grand legal move.
“Not even JAY-Z is bold enough to sue UMG/SONY and I’m sure he’s definitely been f##### with,” she wrote.
She even alleged that JAY-Z isn’t powerful enough to make his own voice heard, so he empowers Beyoncé and Super Bowl halftime performer Kendrick Lamar to do so on his behalf.
“JAY-Z isn’t bold enough to tell them crackers at the NFL how he really feels, so he sends Beyoncé in Black Panther outfits and Kendrick with his typical angry Black struggle epithets out to do it for him,” she wrote.
According to Banks, JAY-Z craves white acceptance, while Drake, being of both Jewish and Black descent, doesn’t seek validation from the industry elite.
“On this day, February 18, 2025, I hereby declare Sir Aubrey ‘Drake’ Graham the best rapper of all time,” she wrote. “He’s fighting the real enemy, not sabotaging other artists and trying to destroy another Black person during Black History Month.”
Banks also went after Kendrick Lamar, claiming that his involvement in the beef was orchestrated by higher industry forces.
“Kendrick got used as a pawn, made the biggest night of an artist’s career about another n####, and will forever have his global notoriety perpetually dwindle down to ‘the rapper who beefed with Drake’,” she wrote.
She argued that Lamar’s career is being diminished by the ongoing feud, especially in the digital landscape.
“100 years from now, with the amount of ‘Drake’ attached to SEO search query ‘Kendrick,’ Kendrick and all the people involved have forever tarnished his digital presence,” she wrote.
Banks also took issue with Kendrick’s allegations against Drake in “Not Like Us,” particularly any insinuations regarding inappropriate behavior.
“If there were actual proof of that, Drake would be investigated,” she wrote. “If Kendrick had proof, as the father and Black messiah he’s trying so desperately to portray himself as, he should’ve gone to the police. It’s completely inappropriate to make a joke regarding any instances of sexual abuse against children because it’s not a f###### laughing matter.”
She went on to question Kendrick Lamar’s independence, stating that despite the image of creative freedom, he still operates under major label control.
“pgLang isn’t a real thing,” she wrote. “If Kendrick were REALLY tough, he’d have released ‘Not Like Us’ through pgLang. He released it via Interscope because he KNEW pgLang doesn’t have the bread.”
Banks closed her rant by suggesting that Kendrick’s legacy is being swallowed by Drake’s cultural dominance.
“They are only hurting Kendrick, erasing the decades of work he’s put in, and making him Plankton in Drake’s SpongeBob SquarePants,” she wrote before signing off, “Keep it up, guys.”
Banks latest rant follows her spicy exchange with Top Dawg Entertainment President Terrence “Punch” Henderson over Kendrick’s Lamar’s Super Bowl performance.