Azealia Banks criticizes Australia's Music and Entertainment Industry as "Trash"

American rapper Azealia Banks recently took to Instagram to criticize Australia's music and entertainment industry, labeling it as "trash" and Australian artists as "untalented/uncultured and unneeded." In her posts, Banks expressed frustration with the Australian music industry, stating that no one takes it seriously and that there is no real musical talent present in the country. She made exceptions for Kylie Minogue, INXS, and AC/DC but called Tame Impala "cheesy" and Wolfmother "an American rock tribute band."

Banks has had past grievances with Australia and its music scene, which resurfaced recently over allegations that an Australian record label "corruptly stole" her intellectual property. She also criticized Australian Dance Music record label Sweat It Out for incorrectly labeling the genre of her music, implying that she was in a vulnerable position when signing the record deal. Banks widened her criticism to capture the entire Australian music industry, citing "jealousy, racism and desperation" as the driving force behind Sweat It Out's "piss poor remix" of her new song.

In addition to her criticisms of the Australian music industry, Banks also cited Australia's enduring colonial apparatus and its systemic dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the driving force behind its music and culture being "so trash." She stated that Australia is "one of the most culturally stale white nations on the planet" and that its entertainment industry fails to realize how unimportant they are as far as music culture goes.

Banks' posts come nearly six months after she cancelled an Australian show in 2022 and vowed never to return to the nation's shores. In addition to the allegations of non-payment by event promoters, Banks cited a "racist" incident that occurred during her Sydney show in which a bottle of soft drink was thrown at her on stage.