Azealia Banks says Kendrick Lamar 'embarrassed himself' with Super Bowl LIX performance in explosive rant

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: Azealia Banks has never been one to shy away from controversy, and her latest target is none other than Kendrick Lamar.

Following the rapper's history-making Super Bowl LIX halftime performance, Banks took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, February 14, to unleash a string of criticisms, claiming that Drake is a "more viable product" in the music industry.

Azealia Banks questions Kendrick Lamar's global appeal, claims numbers for 'Not Like Us' are inflated

In her scathing remarks, Azealia Banks argued that Kendrick Lamar’s artistry fails to resonate with non-English-speaking audiences, implying that he lacks the charisma needed to be a true international superstar. She also took shots at the rapper's height and his overall appeal. 

The 'Luxury' crooner began her rant, writing, "The reason why this is just not believable is because there is absolutely nothing aspirational about being a short, dark-skinned, nappyheaded asthmatic dude from Compton California."

"To be a star, men have to want to be you and women have to want to f**k you. Kendrick has neither going on for him. Men want to BE drake and women want to f**k him. That is why he is a STAR. But ur ugly and light skinned im sure the cognitive dissonance is f**king your head especially now that you’re old ugly and light skinned," she added. 

In another post, she wrote, "Sure Serena was crip walking…. But is she going to let Kendrick f**k? Absolutely the f**k not. Not even if she were single…… I hope you’re beginning to understand the myriad ways in which Kendrick really embarrassed himself with this."

"Another reason Drake is a more viable product than Kendrick is that Drake speaks English in ways that are easier for a non-English speaker to understand," Banks argued in another lengthy post. 

The 'New Bottega' singer continued, "It’s the reason why those chainsmokers songs are so globally massive and why people make lyric videos. Western Entertainment culture is the global standard, so when a person from Vietnam or turkey or Senegal or China can also grab bits of English language , you’ll have an even bigger success. Because Music and Learning work as evidenced by the use of music to teach children." 

According to Banks, Lamar's delivery and accent create a barrier that makes his music less accessible on a global scale.

"When I saw you guys and Spotify lie about Kendrick having most monthly streamers common sense revealed that to be an absolute lie. Kendrick doesn’t have enough of a grip on a standardized American English accent to make anyone outside of Compton know or care what he’s talking about," the 33-year-old stated. 

She went on to claim, "The numbers for not like us are ten thousand percent inflated, which is also why you guys keeeeeep dragging it because you know you’ve all miserably failed at trying to play Drakes game."

This is not the first time Banks has taken aim at Lamar or his previous label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE).

In the past, she has accused TDE artists of being "super uncharismatic misfits" and lacking true star power.

"You guys are actually super pathetic and quite possibly the most HERB music collective hip-hop has seen," she previously ranted, adding that TDE’s artists were "non-stars" and "completely desperate impostors."

Azealia Banks goes after Top Dawg Entertainment's Terrence 'Punch' Henderson

Azealia Banks didn’t stop at Kendrick Lamar, she also took shots at TDE label executive Terrence "Punch" Henderson, calling the label "corny" and its artists "absolute nobodies" and "dweebs." 

Punch, however, responded with nothing more than a simple wink emoji, appearing unbothered by her comments.

Banks' outspokenness isn’t limited to hip-hop.

She was recently dropped from the lineup of the Netherlands' Milkshake Festival, an LGBTQ+ inclusive event, following backlash over her past anti-LGBTQ+ remarks, as reported by NL Times. 

Festival organizers stated that her history of offensive comments did not align with their values of inclusivity.

While Banks continues to stir the pot, Lamar is celebrating a highly successful year.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper's record-breaking Super Bowl LIX performance which drew 133.5 million viewers came just days after his triumphant night at the Grammy Awards on February 2, where he took home five awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for 'Not Like Us'. 

Up next, Lamar is set to embark on the Grand National joint tour with SZA, marking his first stadium tour across North America and Europe. 

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