Azealia Banks Finally Explains Her Future Music Meltdown

Rapper Azealia Banks has finally revealed the details behind her Twitter tirade against The Stone Roses, and subsequent cancellation of her Adelaide show, during Future Music Festival last year.

During the 2013 festival, Banks took to Twitter claiming the UK outfit tried to sabotage her set at the Sydney leg of the festival. She cancelled her Adelaide show the following week when she claimed “stupid road hags” were again planning to disrupt her performance.

Although clearly outraged, at the time the 212 artist offered no reason why The Stone Roses would want to interfere with her set. Now, in an interview with The Guardian, she claims it all came down to the plans of a scorned ex-lover, who also happened to be her ex-tour manager.

“I was dating this tour manager, and we stopped dating,” Banks told The Guardian. “I didn’t want to fire him, but I wanted to bring my new boyfriend on tour.

“So he did something really stupid where he had dinner with the Stone Roses and he made a pact with them to have one of their roadies come on my stage and soundcheck during my set.

“Whatever. I broke his heart and it was unfair. I kind of deserved it. But don’t fuck with my stage or I’ll kill you.”

Never one to back down from a confrontation, Banks went looking for The Stone Roses following the Sydney incident, and she soon found herself face-to-face with frontman Ian Brown.

“Anyway, I’d been looking for [the Roses] all day, and this van comes up and Ian Brown gets out the car, and he’s like: ‘Why you talkin’ about me on Twitter?’

“And literally I got this close to him.” The Guardian describes Banks as she “stands up and bends towards me, her face millimetres from mine and roars: “I’m like: ‘Rarrrrrr!’”

Although it’s an interesting tale, her story probably offers little comfort to her Australian fans. Banks is now infamous for her no-shows and poor performances in this country, with truncated sets at Splendour In The Grass and Listen Out stacked against her Adelaide Future Music cancellation.

Banks finally released her debut album, Broke With Expensive Taste, last week after splitting with her label.

Azealia Banks @ Future Music Festival 2013, Sydney — Photos by Annette Geneva

Listen: Azealia Banks – Chasing Time

Must Read