Azealia Banks has threatened to sue Matty Healy after the pair engaged in an online feud, stemming from the rapper’s comments about Charli XCX.
On Tuesday (December 3), Banks shared a clip of the video for Charli’s 2014 song ‘Break The Rules’. “Charli used to be soooo pretty. Ugh,” she wrote in the caption.
- READ MORE: The NME Big Read – The 1975: “I’d rather be a pretend supervillain than some pretend hero”
The frontman of The 1975 hit back at Banks, writing: “All the women you attack seem to be culturally relevant, attractive, divisive and NICE people. I think this makes you jealous cos you’re so talented but everything else about you is a failure. Just rap bro.”
She responded: “I’ve known Charli since she was 16 and always thought she was absolutely gorgeous, but there’s a stark contrast between this and this.” The artist attached the artwork for the singer’s second album, ‘Sucker’, alongside a recent image of Charli.
In a subsequent post, Banks said: “The bitch look[s] like Frankenstein to me. You both look like you share needles. Lmao.”
In a since-deleted tweet, Healy replied: “Talk to me like that I’m not gonna side eye you at an awards do I’m going to fucking slap you so hard I’ll get a Guinness world record for the highest a rat some bitch calls a wig has ever flown.”
The musician soon apologised for “saying I’m gonna hit a girl” and called his comment “insane”. Healy added: “You just can’t keep being so mean about my mates and my mrs it’s really hurtful gets me well defensive.”
Tagging Banks, he jokingly wrote: “No but we should actually sort this out on the remix”, a reference to Charli’s collaboration with Lorde, ‘Girl, so confusing’.
In response to Healy’s threat of physical violence, Banks fired back: “Fuck your mates honestly. This is like the third time you’ve come out of your face spewing violence specifically towards black women. Brutalized porn, Ice Spice, now you’re threatening to slap me and think a small apology will suffice.”
The comment made reference to Healy’s controversial appearance on The Adam Friedland Show last year. Friedland and co-host Nick Mullen discussed Ice Spice’s heritage, debating whether she has Hawaiian, Inuit or Chinese, before impersonating the accents of those countries and regions. Healy did not participate in the mocking of accents, but he did laugh along with the hosts. The episode has since been removed.
Because I’m suing him. Ahora. Having something to say is one thing but threatening me with physical violence is where the line gets drawn. Threatened to slap me twice, dox me, called me ugly. I haven’t slept all night I am very stressed https://t.co/bmJ2cF7Xq3
— Azealia Banks (@azealiaslacewig) December 4, 2024
Healy later apologised before Ice Spice said she “didn’t really care” about the remarks, and explained that there was no bad blood. “He apologised to me a bunch of times,” she said. “We’re good.”
Banks and the 1975 singer subsequently began interacting via DM following their public spat on X/Twitter, with the rapper sharing screenshots of their correspondence.
“Babe l’m not inciting racial violence against you intentionally or unintentionally this was just like a bar fight,” Healy wrote. “If I thought this would hit you deep I would have never said anything l’m sorry man.” He added: “Ok well I hear your point – I also know that you know I was just telling you to shut up. I did it badly. I feel like we both are guilty of doing things that make others feel bad or victimised tbh.”
In another update, Banks said: “He’s been in my DM apologising and begging me not to sue but I’m fucking tired. And people are gonna learn some fucking respect.”
Earlier, she told a follower that she would be “suing” Healy: “Having something to say is one thing but threatening me with physical violence is where the line gets drawn. Threatened to slap me twice, dox me, called me ugly. I haven’t slept all night I am very stressed.”
AZEALIA BANKS WILL BE ATTACHED TO THE 1975’S SEO FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. he’s been in my DM apologizing and begging me not to sue but I’m fucking tired. And people are gonna learn some fucking respect.
— Azealia Banks (@azealiaslacewig) December 4, 2024
Banks has since doubled down on her comments about Charli’s physical appearance, writing: “I said what the fuck I said. Charli has horrible fucking plastic surgery. Period. Do something.”
She then reiterated that “Matt Healy is getting sued” and said “Charli XCX is still botched”, adding: “Now fucking what?”
Banks also addressed The 1975 being sued for $2.4million by Good Vibes Festival, mentioned Healy’s past heroin addiction, and criticised the Manchester band for “writing shitty songs”.
“I question the women who associate with him,” she went on. “I’m signing off for today, because my anger is really really really boiling.”
And I said what the fuck I said. Charli has horrible fucking plastic surgery. Period. Do something
— Azealia Banks (@azealiaslacewig) December 4, 2024
A rat, bitch, physical threats. Now matt healy is getting sued and Charli xcx is still botched now fucking what? pic.twitter.com/gkiGAI44hj
— Azealia Banks (@azealiaslacewig) December 4, 2024
Earlier today (December 5), Banks told her followers that she had “been awake for two days” and was experiencing “some severe emotional distress”. “I’m going to the hospital I’m beginning to tremble feel short of breath, painful muscle tension and feel a pulsating migraine about to begin,” she wrote.
“The stress of this just won’t allow my body to relax or sleep. I’m too grown for people to still be on the internet threatening me while I sit and watch people go on and on about respecting black women.”
Banks later replied to a follower who said that she needed “to chill” now that Healy was no longer engaging with her and had suspended his account on X/Twitter.
“He’s going to engage with this lawsuit,” she said. “One thing you should never do, is think you are brave enough to speak to Azealia Banks any sort of way and expect me to be the bigger person. When they go low, I take them to hell.”
He’s going to engage with this lawsuit. One thing you should never do, is think you are brave enough to speak to Azealia Banks any sort of way and expect me to be the bigger person. When they go low, I take them to hell. https://t.co/yjkhk66yZt
— Azealia Banks (@azealiaslacewig) December 5, 2024
an apology is an admission of guilt. Thank you https://t.co/0NBoBf9KQr
— Azealia Banks (@azealiaslacewig) December 5, 2024
Additionally, Banks has said that Healy’s “apology is an admission of guilt”. In a separate tweet, she wrote: “This is #1 priority until I am satisfied. The motherfucker can run off the internet all he wants you’re not hiding from getting served. Run from getting served, I’m filing suit.”
Elsewhere, the rapper hit out at Healy and his fiancée Gabbriette Bechtel – who is also a friend of Charli’s, and stars in her ‘360’ video – by posting an image of the couple together. “Looking like Aids and tetanus,” Banks wrote.
In one of her most recent posts, she added: “All yall little white kids are fucking trash. Honestly couldn’t pay me to care whether Charli mart or whoever live or fucking drop dead. Lmao I’m actually AZEALIA BANKS.”
Because no one is going to tell me they’re going to slap me. This is #1 priority until I am satisfied. The motherfucker can run off the internet all he wants you’re not hiding from getting served. Run from getting served, I’m filing suit. https://t.co/ahXF8xTPIB
— Azealia Banks (@azealiaslacewig) December 5, 2024
Looking like Aids and tetanus. https://t.co/6IWyS7WKME
— Azealia Banks (@azealiaslacewig) December 5, 2024
Ok. Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system back to being cunt. All yall little white kids are fucking trash. Honestly couldn’t pay me to care whether Charli mart or whoever live or fucking drop dead. Lmao I’m actually AZEALIA BANKS.
— Azealia Banks (@azealiaslacewig) December 5, 2024
Matty Healy issues new statement after deciding to engage with Azealia Banks online yesterday:
“Guys I don’t have the right kind of intelligence / emotional maturity etc for social media I literally just end up saying stuff that immediately regret etc. I’m actually just gonna… pic.twitter.com/5CC8lNvHJw
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) December 4, 2024
According to Pop Crave, Healy shared a statement about the feud and his decision to step back from social media again. “Guys I don’t have the right kind of intelligence / emotional maturity etc for social media,” he said.
“I literally just end up saying stuff that immediately regret etc. I’m actually just gonna stick to music cos I’m good at that. Having manic episodes on Twitter at 35 is kinda pathetic.”
He has not commented on Banks’ claim that she is going to take legal action.
Charli XCX is engaged to Healy’s 1975 bandmate George Daniel – the latter of whom earned co-writing and production credits on his fiancé’s latest album, ‘Brat’. He is credited on ‘Club Classics’ – where Charli declares “I wanna dance with George” – and the viral hit ‘Apple’ (Daniel recently did the viral dance to the latter song at the ‘Brat’ tour).
Healy and Daniel also created a 1975 re-working of Charli’s track ‘I Might Say Something Stupid’ for her new ‘Brat’ remix album. During an interview in October, the pop star said Healy was “like [her] brother now”.
“I have an endless amount of respect for him as a songwriter and him as a person,” she continued. “But I sometimes want to strangle him.”
In other news, Charli XCX has shared her top artists and songs of 2024 via Spotify Wrapped, looked back on her debut mixtape she made as a teenager and expressed her excitement over the new Sky Ferreira song.
