[introImage id=115624 caption=”Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images”]
Nearly two years ago, reports surfaced of an altercation between actor Russell Crowe and rapper Azealia at a party in room 117 of the Beverly Hills hotel, resulting in Crowe spitting on Banks. The altercation became a source of controversy, especially because different accounts of the ordeal have disparities.
Vince Staples has recently taken to Twitter in an effort to bring this situation back into conversation, implying that it was glossed over without proper scrutiny. He mentions that if it had been Tyler Perry spitting on Taylor Swift, there would be no more Madea movies. While it’s doubtful that Staples would actually be that affected by a lack of Tyler Perry films, he makes the comparison to speak on a much bigger, more serious issue.
I WONDER WHEN YALL GONNA MAKE A YOUTUBE ABOUT RUSSELL CROWE FROM THE GLADIATOR SPITTING AT AZEALIA BANKS? HE CANT COME TO THE NORF AND FANTASEA 2 ABOUT TO DROP SO WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT IT.
— Vince Staples (@vincestaples) March 12, 2018
YALL LET RUSSELL CROWE SPIT AT AZEALIA BANKS BUT IF TYLER PERRY SPIT AT TAYLOR SWIFT IT WOULD BE NO MORE MEDEAS MOVIES. LOL BUT IM SERIOUS
— Vince Staples (@vincestaples) March 12, 2018
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Apparently, Azealia Banks and Russell Crowe began their interaction on good terms. Azealia told The Sun that she and Crowe had been flirting and “having a real good time.” She even says that Crowe tweeted out one of her songs, The Big Big Beat. The encounter started to go sour when Banks allegedly mocked another guest, who was an aspiring film maker. The situation escalated, and a woman stepped in to back Crowe up in the argument. At this point, Banks claims to have said the following:
“I said, ‘Girl, this is not the right time or place for us to be fighting, like what would happen if I got up and I slapped the s*** out of you, or I took a glass and f***ing threw it at you and you were bleeding all over the place? I would be wrong and we’d all be wrong, and the party would be done.’”
[introImage id=144199 caption=”Source: Instagram @azealiabanks”]
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According to Azealia Banks, Crowe responds by saying “Well, you wouldn’t even get close enough to get the chance, n****r.” At this point, Banks says that Crowe choked her out, threw her out of the hotel room, then spat on her.
In a different source, it is reported that Crowe had stayed “surprisingly calm” during Azealia’s rant/threat (which was quoted differently in this report), and only stepped in to lock Banks in a bear hug and carried her out of the room once she reached for her wine glass and cocked it back. At this point, he allegedly called hotel security guards to take her away. This report also noted that at least four other witnesses used the word “erratic” to describe Banks’ behavior. Comedian Jim Jefferies has cosigned this description of the event via Twitter. See his tweets below.
This is 100 percent the truth. I was there, she was out of control . Russell did absolutely nothing wrong. https://t.co/9ySHgz5MGs
— jim jefferies (@jimjefferies) October 17, 2016
Azelia Banks is a complete liar. I was in the room. Russell Crowe is completely innocent. I would take a lie detector.
— jim jefferies (@jimjefferies) October 18, 2016
In an Instagram post that has since been deleted, Azealia reposted Vince Staples’ tweet and included a lengthy caption that described how she felt about the situation:
“Crazy ….. all Kanye did was say excuse me then take Taylor’s mic (which she handed him) and they damn near cancelled him… Crowe choked me, spat on me, called me a n****r and is still being booked for work. It’s insane that he really got away with that. I’m really not over it, it’s definitely a thorn in my side plus all of the public humiliation caused by RZA saying I lied just really made and makes it worse. Everyone In the room that night lied on his behalf , the hotel sold the tapes. People at lionsgate wouldn’t even speak to me after this happened,” she continues. “They essentially took rza’s side and I really suffered with the original premiere of love Beats Rhymes and the soundtrack being cancelled because of this. No one has ever apologized to me for any of this. When this happened NO ONE called to ask if I was okay…. these last two years have really been hard for me. I’m getting better now and I hope I get the chance to do another movie and have a real premiere with a red carpet and paparazzi/media such …. I was really looking forward to that.”
Thanks to Vince Staples’ tweets, the Banks-Crowe situation has been refreshed in public memory. Hopefully, the topic will be approached with constructive dialogue that tackles the roots of issues like these. Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments below.
