After Iggy Azalea went on an ill-advised rant about how ‘Becky’ is a derogatory and racist term, she has now clarified her statements.
Her Twitter-spree references “Becky with the good hair,” a phrase that caught on after being used in Beyoncé’s song, “Sorry.”
Azalea hopped back on Twitter Wednesday after deleting her old tweets that said using ‘Becky’ to describe white women is “not cool.” The rapper seemed to imply that generalizing white women this way is racist.
In her newest tweets, she says she doesn’t think Beyoncé is racist and that she likes the “Sandcastles” singer and her new album.
No i dont think Beyonce is racist nor do i think calling someone "BECKY" is the same as a racial slur. I actually like her and the project.
— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) April 27, 2016
The rapper says she takes exception to the use of stereotypical names for all races.
BUT, no i dont think its great to use stereotypical names to describe ANY race. I think we can all agree on that.
— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) April 27, 2016
And she goes on to detail what she believes is a typical association of the name and says, “you will all deal” with her statements.
AND WE ALL KNOW "becky" started because you all think white girls just go around slobbing on everyones dick. Im good on being called that.
— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) April 27, 2016
AND YOU WILL ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL DEAL. because unless youre planning on walking up to me and calling me out my name, it doesnt affect you!
— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) April 27, 2016
Azalea’s rant promotes the perpetual narrative of so-called reverse racism, which The Huffington Post says is a myth because of the true definition of racism — a system where one race with power benefits from other races’ oppression. Black people face housing discrimination, higher incarceration rates and numerous other ills as a result of racism, while white people don’t.
It seems to be something Azalea doesn’t recognize, and Twitter is not content with her views.
One user demanded answers about why the Australian rapper thought it was OK to refer to herself as a slave master and then be upset about ‘Becky.’
@IGGYAZALEA why did you find it fine to call yourself a slave master but mad when people call you becky?
— deej (@somefuckingpoop) April 27, 2016
The tweet refers to lyrics in her 2012 song “D.R.U.G.S,” according to Hip-Hop DX. In it, she raps, “tire marks, tire marks / Finish line with the fire marks / When the relay starts, I’m a runaway slave / Master.” She later apologized for the lyrics, claiming she was inspired by Kendrick Lamar’s “Look Out for Detox.”
Another user summed up their thoughts more simply.
@IGGYAZALEA pic.twitter.com/wby1mnftMy
— #EncryptedUterus (@OutstandingWC) April 27, 2016