​RZA on Azealia Banks: "I Saw Her Behave as an Obnoxious Erratic Individual"

BY Sarah MurphyPublished Oct 20, 2016

Azealia Banks has been grabbing some pretty bad press for her behaviour at a Russell Crowe-hosted hotel party last weekend, and now RZA has broken his silence about the night's dramatic events.
 
As previously reported, Banks attended the party as RZA's guest. After criticizing the host's musical choices and referring to Crowe and another guest as "boring white men," she cocked a glass and threatened to pull some "Tarantino shit." It was at that point that Crowe removed her from the suite and called security.

RZA has now spoken out about the party in a Facebook post. He begins by saying, "I only wish the best for her and any struggling artist in this complex industry," then clarifies his professional affiliation with Banks — that they worked on his film Coco together, but contrary to her social media posts, did not sign any formal record deals.
 
RZA then goes on to defend Crowe's side of the story. He offered the following description of Banks' behaviour at the party:
 
Before the night is over Azealia is insulting half the room she becomes loud and obnoxious.
 
There was nothing funny about her behavior. I felt a little embarrassed because she was my guest.
 
Still verbal abuse can be tolerated but when it goes physical...
 
Azealia threaten to cut a girl in the face with a glass, then actually grabs a glass and physically attacks for no logical reason.
 
Russell blocked the attack and expelled her from the suite.
 
Seeing is believing and I saw her behave as an obnoxious erratic individual and in the circles I frequent this was unprecedented. I was totally puzzled by her and thought maybe meds or booze or something had her zoned out.
 
Nevertheless I made sure she got home safe.
 
He also denies Banks' claims that Crowe called her the N-word, assuring his followers that "THIS IS NOT A RACE OR GENDER ISSUE" and that he simply didn't hear Russell use the word. He added, "I'm not trying to protect Russell from anything he is a man of his own Caliber."
 
Banks previously shared her account of the evening in a since-deleted Facebook post that read: "To recap my night, I went to a party at Russell Crowe's suite, at which he called me a nigger, choked me, threw me out and spat at me. Last night was one of the hardest nights of sleep I've had in a long time. The men in the room allowed it to happen. I feel terrible today."
 
RZA has now pushed back against what he has dubbed Banks' "slander," ending his Facebook message by stating: "I have a wife, daughters, sisters and females on my staff so I protect women everyday. I pray none of them ever behave the way I witnessed Azealia Banks behaved that night."
 
Read his entire post below.
 

UPDATE (10/21, 8:30 a.m. EDT): Azealia Banks returned to Facebook last night (October 20) to respond to RZA's retelling of events. Find her full string of Facebook posts below.









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