The somehow divisive results of the number one song for the week of September 25th on the Billboard Hot 100 not only speaks to the constant pitting against one another of race in America, but also, well the quality of what tends to make it to the top of the charts these days. Between Taylor Swift’s extraordinarily terrible “Look What You Made Me Do” and Cardi B’s not so mentally enlightening “Bodak Yellow,” of course the choice is simple: the latter. But that music has been brought to a state where this is what the masses must choose between is perhaps telling of why renowned ranter Azealia Banks decided to go off on Cardi B’s victory.
Among other accusations of Cardi being talentless, Banks remarked, “Spinning the ‘for the culture’ story when they are simply letting white men at Atlantic buy them into hating their own women” and “She’s only black when black want to include themselves in a success story.” The underscoring point being, of course, that Cardi B is merely a pawn in the white male executive/black male rapper agenda. She’s just edgy enough, yet just pliably “Barbie” enough (in a way Nicki Minaj isn’t) to be more bankable (though not Banksable). And, most scathingly, Banks has since name dropped the alleged real writer of “Bodak Yellow” (“the nigga’s name is Poe”) after a supplementary Snapchat rant that included, “Cardi, congrats on your #1. Just like you said, like a bum bitch from the Bronx like you, it’s great that you made it, you know. I’m sure it inspires a lot of other bum bitches, but like you know, you suck dick for raps. You fuck for raps … You’re like a fuck toy. You’re like some little like smut that niggas wanna stick their dicks in. You’re going to have your moment now and then you’re going to be gone. Enjoy it.”
This is starting to make the Nicki Minaj/Remy Ma (two rappers Banks has called out as being more deserving of a number one) feud look tame. But it’s no secret at this juncture that Banks gives no fucks about offending–this is the same woman who came for universally beloved Beyonce when universally beloved Lemonade was released and Banks was the only one who would say it’s kind of bullshit to forgive a man for cheating. If she can get away with that opinion and still be left standing, then maybe she really is the Trump of hip hop. On the plus side, at least she didn’t send Cardi some fake ass cunt flowers à la Taylor Swift. But no amount of stems can erase all this “Bad Blood” Cardi’s invoking from Azealia, simply trying to make the point that the music industry when it comes to females–particularly female rappers–is flawed beyond repair.
