Azealia Banks has defended herself after footage emerged appearing to show the rapper shouting a homophobic insult at an air steward.
TMZ published a video reportedly showing Banks having an argument with a flight attendant on a Delta Air Lines plane from New York to Los Angeles.
In the video Banks can be seen aggressively trying to get her bag back from the steward, before appearing to call him a ‘f*****g f****t’.
Watch the outburst below. Warning - the video contains language that some may find offensive:
Eyewitnesses told TMZ the altercation began after a French couple were blocking Banks’ way to the exit once the plane had landed at LAX. When she tried to move past the couple, the man allegedly put his hand out in front of Banks, which angered her.
The flight attendant then reportedly intervened, taking the bag off Banks - which the video shows. According to TMZ, another Delta crew member, possibly a co-pilot, then came out to try and diffuse the situation and told Banks the police are on their way.
Immediately after the video emerged, Banks changed her Twitter account to private. She has now re-opened it and tried to defend her actions in a series of tweets:
I am bisexual. my brother is trans. My employees are all gay men. . Nothing else to say.
— AZEALIABANKS (@AZEALIABANKS) September 22, 2015
I only OWE an apology to my fans. My true true ride or die fans. The rest of yall can pick up a rock and suck on it !!
— AZEALIABANKS (@AZEALIABANKS) September 23, 2015
And to be quite honest IM REALLY tired of the world trying to police the way black women should or shouldn't express themselves.
— AZEALIABANKS (@AZEALIABANKS) September 23, 2015
Brian Kruse, a spokesperson for Delta Air Lines told the Independent: “We are aware of the situation and are looking into it.”
Banks has previously defended her use of the word “f****t”, telling Sirius XM radio: it’s not “a thing about a guy being gay. It was always just a man who hates women. You can be gay or straight. You can be a straight f****t…F****ts are men who want to bring women down, f**k with their heads, control them.”
