Bob the Drag queen, season 8 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, had some choice words for Azealia Banks on Wednesday, following an altercation between Banks and season 10 contestant Monét X Change. Bob appropriately ethered Banks through a diss track.
The drama began last weekend, when Banks criticized the TV series in a series of tweets for “commodifying gay culture” and pandering to “popular white gay sentiment.” She also accused RuPaul Charles of copyright infringement, saying his song “Call Me Mother” stole from her 2016 track “The Big Big Beat.”
X Change responded on Twitter Monday night.
“The hetero community wasn’t checkin for yo ass before this debacle, and they won’t after,” she tweeted. “Obscurity is where you shall exist.”
I will no longer perform my Azealia Mix…EVER. @cheapyxo is rotted TRASH.
— Monét (@monetxchange) June 5, 2018
Good one Azealia. Gotta love a tired bitch with preschool reads. Do you not realize that the LGBTQIA+ Community is the ONLY reason you have a career? The hetero community wasn’t checkin for yo ass before this debacle, and they won’t after. Obscurity is where you shall exist. https://t.co/yGQ5TF3iEY
— Monét (@monetxchange) June 5, 2018
Banks then escalated the situation, saying, “Bitch your crotch is rotting and fermenting under that sour mildew ass girdle sus … I do not give a goddamn.”
https://twitter.com/_FranDaniel_/status/1003817402486984704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailydot.com%2Fupstream%2Fazealia-banks-rupaul-drag-queens%2F
Shortly after her last comment, her Twitter account was deactivated. It’s unclear if she did it herself or if Twitter suspended the account. As of press time, Banks was back on Twitter.
Banks’ disappearance on Twitter didn’t stop Drag Race alumni from clapping back, however. Most notably, Bob called out Banks for her co-option of Black, queer culture and her vocal support of President Donald Trump—who’s widely viewed as both anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ rights. (Trump did refuse to acknowledge Pride Month for the second year in a row.)
“For the record I know Azealia identifies as bisexual, but that does not stop get from being an enemy to the queer community,” they wrote. “CONSTANT transphobic, and homophobic statements paired with Trump support means you’re done.”
For the record i know Azaelia identifies as bisexual, but that does not stop get from being an enemy to the queer community. CONSTANT transphobic, and homophobic statements paired with Trump support means you're done.
— Woke Man In A Dress (@thatonequeen) June 6, 2018
And when a celebrity promotes a political candidate it's even bigger than voting for them yourself, because they convince others to do so as well.
— Woke Man In A Dress (@thatonequeen) June 6, 2018
But tweeting wasn’t enough—Bob published a video on his YouTube channel laying out how he believes Banks has co-opted the culture and ended the video with a scalding diss track.
“Since you’re so interested in co-opting black, queer culture, and propagating it as your own, I think it’s time to drag you deep into the miasma of one of black queer culture’s greatest traditions,” Bob said before diving into the rap.
Bob explained that Banks co-opts house music, which he says was popularized by Black queers in the ‘80s as disco music faded out.
“Let’s take a second to look at all the facts. You attack women, queers, and other blacks,” Bob said at the beginning of the track. “You prefer old white men? Good to know. ‘Cause after this they’ll be the only people at your show.”
My thoughts on the Azaelia Banks mess. https://t.co/Mq5hbFm8ni
— Woke Man In A Dress (@thatonequeen) June 6, 2018
Bob ended his Twitter rant by suggesting that folks who want to support Black queer people in the music industry support Big Freedia, an electronic and hip-hop artist hailing from Louisiana.
I'm hoping off Twitter for now. In the meanwhile if you're looking for a black queer artist to fill the void that the talented Azaelia Banks left, and she IS truly talented, try @bigfreedia She's talented too. https://t.co/wosc5gkUhW
— Woke Man In A Dress (@thatonequeen) June 6, 2018
Since her account has reappeared, Banks has attacking RuPaul’s Drag Race. When told that Bob wrote a diss track about her, she said she’d never heard of him but assumed it was bad.
https://twitter.com/cheapyxo/status/1004600399347830785
https://twitter.com/cheapyxo/status/1004601794079657985
https://twitter.com/cheapyxo/status/1004602275975884800
https://twitter.com/cheapyxo/status/1005015496243253248
https://twitter.com/cheapyxo/status/1005016300211630080
Shortly after the news about Anthony Bourdain’s death broke, she went on a separate rant about how she feels badly for how she has treated other artists. She particularly included Zayn Malik—who she once tweeted a racist remark to in 2016 and had her Twitter account deactivated in response—but made it clear that she doesn’t intend to apologize to the drag queens.
https://twitter.com/cheapyxo/status/1005069710394908672
https://twitter.com/cheapyxo/status/1005070327280480256
https://twitter.com/cheapyxo/status/1005071436296458240
https://twitter.com/cheapyxo/status/1005071798449434629
https://twitter.com/cheapyxo/status/1005072218861244416
https://twitter.com/cheapyxo/status/1005072892659425281
https://twitter.com/cheapyxo/status/1005106789225033728
https://twitter.com/cheapyxo/status/1005107128934260737
https://twitter.com/cheapyxo/status/1005110576069128196
It doesn’t look like Banks will having a change of heart over her beef with Drag Race queens anytime soon.
H/T Nylon