In a shocking Instagram video, rapper Azealia Banks recently opened up about her alleged abusive relationship with Diplo. The “212” artist revealed disturbing details about the treatment she endured as a young artist, shedding light on the producer’s problematic history with young women.
‘He Took This Polaroid Photo Of Me’
On Tuesday, Nov. 15, Azealia Banks took to her Instagram to dish out on producer, Diplo.
Recounting her experiences, Banks stated that Diplo would coerce her into engaging in sexual activities in exchange for beats. She stated:
“I was very confused when I was called by VIBE Magazine and being told that i was going to be on a cover with Diplo. And I was just like why I am on a cover with Diplo, I don’t even have any Diplo songs. Do any of us even know any Diplo records? No, do you know the types of terrible f*cking things Diplo used to do to me when I was 17 and broke. Like if you guys just knew the degrading sh*t that n*gga would like do to me, just kind of gas me and coerce me to have sex with him to get beats from him. I would have sex with him and he would be like I’ll send you some beats. I need everyone to stop running with that narrative of Diplo found me, Diplo did not find me, I was discovered on MySpace by a guy named 77KLASH.”
Azealia continued:
“He [Diplo] took this polaroid photo of me. Which I guess then, when you’re like 18, you think it’s like cool, sentimental things. That picture has kind of been floating around of my stuff, from state to state, and you know I am very spiritual person, I don’t believe in throwing pictures of myself out. I looked at the photo the other day and like I can just see all of the sadness in that little girl’s eyes. I was just really fucking sad, because I just felt like what the fuck just happened. This n*gga just kind of f*cked me, and then ran out the door. Nobody from XL was there to just interject. I’m sorry but record labels, when you sign these kids and they’re like 16,17,18 – there’s another set of responsibility that you have to take on, yes, absolutely. You cannot just leave them out there like that.”
Diplo’s Controversial Past With Photos
Azealia Banks is not the only individual to speak out against Diplo. The producer has faced previous sexual abuse allegations involving other young women.
In one case, he sued a woman named Shelly Auguste, accusing her of threatening to release revenge porn and repeatedly contacting his child’s mother and other family members.
According to Daily Mail, Auguste claimed that Diplo contacted her when she was 17 years old, solicited nude photos of her, and allegedly gave her a sexually transmitted disease. Following this, she alleged that after she moved to Los Angeles, Diplo coerced her into sex by sending unsolicited graphic photos of himself in sexual situations.
Diplo Speaks Out
Furthermore, the popular producer was said to have recorded a video of their sexual encounter despite her telling him she didn’t want that and tried to “coax her into a threesome with a girl she believes was underaged at the time.”
According to TMZ, Diplo stated:
“I will keep this story easy to read because I know the internet has a short attention span, and it was my goal to never address a stalker. I will refer to her as ‘SA’ (and you can find anything easily online) she was an obsessed fan of mine, and after I relinquished all contact with her, it appears that her only purpose in life has been to disrupt my work, my business, harass me and my close friends and attack me and threaten my family”’ his post began.
Then, in 2021, another woman, who remains unnamed, filed a lawsuit against the producer, claiming that he coerced her into performing oral sex and recorded the encounter without her consent. The woman alleged that Diplo invited her to his personal room, pressured her for sex, and isolated her from her male friend, whom Diplo’s security team allegedly assaulted when he refused to leave without her.
‘I’m An Adult. I’m Not Being Groomed’
Amidst these allegations, in 2020, Diplo’s relationship with influencer Quenlin Blackwell was questioned.
The two denied any inappropriate behavior, describing their relationship as strictly platonic. Blackwell addressed the rumors of being groomed by Diplo, stating:
“I’m an adult. I’m not being groomed. Platonic relationships exist. I’ve been living here for over a year,” she wrote. “I’d rather break both of my legs and be forced to walk than pursue Diplo romantically and he’d rather choke.”
At the time, she was 19 years old, and Diplo was 41 years old.
M.I.A. Speaks Her Piece
M.I.A., a prominent artist and previous associate of Diplo, has also spoken about her negative experiences with the producer and how he would belittle her successes and became enraged when she signed with a major label. The “Paper Planes” artist stated in a 2015 interview:
“By the time that was happening to me, I was with Diplo and he basically just like shat on every good thing that was happening to me, and I just didn’t enjoy it because if I was on a cover of a magazine he’ll be like, ‘What do you want to do, like be on the dentist waiting room table? Like, is that what a magazine is for? It’s corny. Like, don’t do magazines.’ She continued with that Diplo “literally smashed my hotel room and broke all the furniture because he was so angry I got picked up by a major label and it was the corniest thing in the world that could possibly happen.”
L.A. Reid Under Fire
These revelations of abuse within the music industry highlight a broader issue surrounding power dynamics and the mistreatment of many in the industry. L.A. Reid, former CEO of Arista Records, has recently come under fire as allegations of sexual abuse from former executive Drew Dixon have emerged.
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