Rapper Azealia Banks praises DeSantis leadership, says she feels 'way safer' in Florida than in Los Angeles

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Hip-hop artist Azealia Banks praised Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his leadership, revealing that she feels "way safer" living in the Sunshine State than she did in California.

During a wide-ranging interview with The Guardian released this week, the controversial "212" rapper, who recently relocated to Miami, chastised the media for demonizing DeSantis' governing style, arguing that she feels "way safer" living in Florida than she did in Los Angeles, where she felt like she needed a gun to protect herself.

Banks attributed her newfound comfort in Miami to DeSantis' pragmatic leadership and his commitment to "practical" issues, telling the outlet that the Republican governor is "focused on the basic sh--."

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Azealia Banks performs during the Noise Pop Music & Arts festival at The Warfield in San Francisco on Feb. 27, 2022. (Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

"There are elderly people in our country without walkers, who don’t have the money to get a septic tooth pulled. If we’re talking about divvying up health care funds, those situations should take precedence to facial feminization surgeries and stuff like that. I mean, I get it — but that’s a cosmetic surgery. Like, does your penis work? Can you pee? You’re not as in trouble as the older woman who can’t afford her dialysis. I think DeSantis is practical about a lot of things," she said.

Banks said living in Los Angeles left her feeling isolated "and scared" during the pandemic, where she lost faith in the politics of the city she now views as shallow and virtue-signaling obsessed.

"Every which way I turn [in LA] there’s a Black Lives Matter sign, and then we’re watching swathes of Latino people die every day because they’re considered essential workers," she told The Guardian. "There are no Latino Lives Matter signs. That’s not to negate any of the very real issues that Black people in America face, but in a rich state like California, in a neighborhood like Silver Lake — here’s Jenny with her f---in’ like… "biodynamic wine bar and her vegan cafe. She’s got a Black Lives Matter sign in the window, but sis, did you pay attention to papi who delivered the milk? Did he get a free cup of coffee? I had to go because I can’t do this — either Covid was gonna kill me, or depression," she said. "I’m going to f---ing Miami."

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Singer Azealia Banks attends the Nasty Gal Melrose Store Launch in Los Angeles on Nov. 20, 2014.  (John Sciulli/Getty Images for Nasty Gal)

Banks said people "mind their f---ing business" in Florida, further praising DeSantis for displaying what she sees as common decency, a trait she struggles to find in other politicians.

Her tone took a turn when she was asked about the controversies surrounding her former collaborator Kanye West, whom she called a "grifter" while obliterating comments he made in 2020 about how he and Kim Kardashian considered aborting their daughter.

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"You’re a f---ing idiot for basically sacrificing the mental health of your daughter," Banks said of the rapper, whom she called "an abusive a--hole." 

"You are the last person we need to hear from about Black fatherhood and the Black family unit," she said.

The interview comes a few months after Banks reportedly stormed out of a Florida Pride event for being too "ghetto."