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What's the real story?
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Feb 09, 2020
This is not the first time that Azealia Banks has made strong and controversial accusations against men in the industry, and it probably won't be the last. However, these are certainly the most explosive claims she's ever made.
Yes, there were many celebrities that weighed in on the explosive Nicki Minaj/Meek Mill Twitter feud — but Banks was the only one to go on record and accuse her former mentor of abuse while weighing in on the Minaj/Mill controversy.
And by weighing in on this controversy with an explosive accusation of her own, Banks shifted the conversation from Minaj and Mill's toxic relationship to toxic relationships within the industry itself.
The question, however, begs itself: did T.I. assault Azealia Banks?
Let's look at what we know about these explosive claims.
1. Did T.I. assault Azealia Banks? Banks claims he did.
Yesterday, Azealia Banks took to her Instagram to slam Meek Mill, Jay-Z, and several other men in hip hop, claiming that they all abused women. She also made that same allegation against T.I., her former mentor. "T.I. is still sitting up there trying to convince himself and the public that he didn't also threaten to cut my throat and push me down a flight of stairs. Yet wants to sit up there and act like the f**king black savior. Lmao yall rap [N-words] are actual GARBAGE," she said.
2. In the past, Banks accused actor Russell Crowe of assault as well.
T.I. isn't the first man that Banks has accused of assault. Most infamously, she accused actor Russell Crowe of the same thing in 2016. According to Banks, Crowe called her a racial epithet, grabbed her by the neck, and spat on her. However, a report filed the Los Angeles District Attorney stated that it was Banks who was abusive to Crowe — that she, not Crowe, was the one using racial slurs, that she was being aggressive to party guests, and that she threatened to bust a glass and use the shards to cut Crowe's throat. Ultimately, the Los Angeles District Attorney declined to press charges against Crowe.
3. Recently, Banks accused a flight attendant of assault as well.
In August 2019, Banks again made accusations of racial profiling and assault against another person. This time, the accused was a flight attendant. According to Banks, a flight attendant on an SAS flight from Stockholm, Sweden, to Los Angeles not only racially profiled her but actually struck her in an argument. However, the airline contested the story and ultimately, the flight attendant wasn't prosecuted, either.
4. But Banks has been found guilty of assault over a 2015 'boob-biting' incident.
For all that Banks accuses people of assaulting her, it turns out that she's the one who's actually been charged with — and convicted of — the crime of assault. In 2018, Banks stood in a Manhattan, NY courtroom and pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after she completed an anger management course. Because she did that, the Manhattan judge agreed to dismiss her misdemeanor conviction of aggravated assault. The charged stemmed from an incident in 2015, where she bit the breast of a female security guard.
5. T.I. and Banks have a long-standing feud.
For all that T.I. has tried to mentor Banks, it seems to be all for naught because the duo has been going back and forth for years. The T.I / Azealia Bank feud goes all the way back to 2012, when fellow T.I. protegee Iggy Azalea made the cover of XXL Magazine. Banks, for her part, felt slighted that Azalea got the honor, and not her, and she and T.I. have been taking shots at one another both in interviews and on wax ever since.
6. T.I. has yet to comment about Banks' accusations.
As of this writing, T.I. hasn't responded — either through representatives or on wax — about Banks' accusations. However, we will definitely keep you posted if the "Rubber Band Man" responds to Banks' explosive accusations.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, publicist, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.