Yesterday, Azealia Banks released the video for her version of Harlem Shake, a maverick remix that Banks completed and previously had posted on Soundcloud without the blessing of the song’s creator Baauer. Now Baauer has taken the opportunity to elaborate on why he wanted Banks’ Harlem Shake remix removed from SoundCloud.
Speaking with The Daily Beast, Baauer explained he was a fan of Banks and asked her to rework his at-the-time little known track, but was unconvinced by Banks’ efforts:
“She had a version that we were going to release because I’m a big fan of hers. We knew she likes to beef with producers. So she laid something on ‘Harlem Shake’ and it was so/so. Didn’t love it. And that was a little while ago, and since all this video stuff happened, our plans all changed. Because of that, we decided to just release the song on it’s own with no vocal version. So we told her, ‘Please don’t release your version.’ And she said, ‘Well, I’m going to put it online anyway.’ And we said, ‘Please don’t. We’d really like it if you didn’t.’ And she did.”
However, Banks has since published what she claims to be an email from Baauer praising Banks for her ‘fantastic’ sounding vocals and flow. Bank’s posted the email on her Tumblr account and tagged Pitchfork in a corresponding tweet to make Baauer’s glowing approval spread across the internet.
Banks’ actions caused Bauuer to have SoundCloud remove the audio, leading to Banks inquiring on Twitter why Bauuer was ‘coccblockin’ the rapper’s remix. After Baauer explained the song was not the property of Banks to do with as she wished, Banks went on the attack.
Banks’ full frontal assault took aim at Bauuer, producer Diplo, who put out Baauer’s Harlem Shake on his label Mad Decent, and Perez Hilton, reigniting an earlier Twitter feud with the Hollywood reporter.
Photo: @baauer @pitchforkmedia I don’t remember you saying the verse was so-so….. tmblr.co/Zc3ZVxeUM6C3
— YUNG RAPUNXEL (@AZEALIABANKS) February 19, 2013
