Earlier today, The FADER shared parts of a short essay rapper Azealia Banks penned on black mental health and the controversy surrounding her racist comments about Zayn Malik. The write up—a deep dive into Banks' own views on how "white media/society" affect people of color—was less an apology than an explanation,
Accordingly, it seemed unlikely that an actual apology would come, but now, the 24-year-old has officially backtracked via Instagram, where she owns up to employing "racial/sexual slurs/stereotypes" in a manner that "managed to insult millions of people without reason." Here's the full statement:
This mea culpa is decidedly more sincere than Banks' tenuous apology following her use of a gay slur against celebrity blogger Perez Hilton in 2013. But it's a far cry from actually changing her behavior. Here's hoping this time around, the apology sticks.
