S. Samuel
New York rap newcomer Azealia Banks can thank fans for putting some extra cash into her pockets as reports claim her publicized beefs with fellow rapper Angel Haze and gossip blogger Perez Hilton last week have sparked some record sales.
According to reports, Banks’ retail projects have experienced an increase in sales since last week.
The ongoing feud between Azealia Banks and Angel Haze (which then morphed into a larger spat between Banks and Perez Hilton over the weekend) has sparked sales gains for Banks over the past week. The New York rapper’s “1991” EP re-enters Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart at No. 32, posting an 18% sales gain and selling just under 1,000 copies in the week ending Jan. 6, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Meanwhile, Banks’ breakout single “212” moved 3,000 downloads last week — up by 3%. In total, “1991” has sold 24,000 since its May 2012 release, while “212” has moved 118,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan. (Billboard)
The war of words also got Haze some additional attention and a few extra sales.
Angel Haze also posted an overall gain for her available songs and “New York” EP; however, the combined sales for all her titles was below 1,000 units for the week. Last week, Banks and Haze exchanged insults on Twitter before lobbing hastily prepared diss tracks at one another. On Friday night, Banks then called the openly gay celebrity blogger Hilton a “f—ot,” a comment which has since received heavy criticism. Banks’ debut album, “Broke with Expensive Taste,” is due out in early 2013. (Billboard)
Despite pushing some more records, Banks caught the wrath of GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) in light of the beef.
“Regardless of her intent or her personal definition, what matters is the meaning given to that word by those who hear it, and the damage it causes when they do. Undoubtedly there are gay kids who follow her on Twitter who hear this word in an entirely different context. This word is used almost universally by bullies, often as part of a larger verbal or physical assault. This word hurts those kids, no matter what Banks meant by it,” GLAAD continues, before listing incidents across the country that shows that “fa**ot” is used as “a derogatory word for gay men.” (Ace Showbiz)
Following the statement, Azealia stepped up to defend her image and dicey wordplay.
“Glaad and all these others need to give it a break… Picking and choosing when to be offended….. Pfffft, as f*cking if.,” she tweeted January 7th.
“As if all “derogatory” words are not now in 2013, simply just expletives.”
“These words get used, in movies, books, songs, films……”
“It’s just all so hypocritical. And while I DO feel bad for using the word…. It’s kind of weird/ironic to see it all play itself out.” (Azealia Banks’ Twitter)
