Rapper Azealia Banks has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise USD$100,000, in an attempt to sue actor Russell Crowe, after he allegedly assaulted her during a party in 2016.
In a series of messages posted on Instagram today, Banks said that while it will cost her “a bunch of money” to sue Crowe, her lawyers are saying “with all the evidence they have and shit like that, they can make it happen quick and make it go away”.
“I don’t have $100,000 dollars to play with right now,” she said, before calling on fans to donate money.
“I can get this son of a bitch… and make her pay the price.
“That shit was fucking embarrassing, that shit make me lose so much time in my career.
“We would have been had Fantasea II if this shit didn’t stall me and put me in a deep ass fucking depression and shit like that, and I would really like you guys’ help.”
In a statement posted to her GoFundMe page, Banks wrote:
“Russell Crowe spit on me at a party in 2016 and denied it, had a group of people gaslight me causing irreparable damage to my acting career and my reputation as well as loads of emotional damage.
“Whatever money comes of this will be donated to ocean clean up charities. This isn’t about a big pay day for me, it’s about letting the world know that black women are victims to the same sort of disgusting violence men in Hollywood deal out to women and it’s important to send a message that black women also deserve justice and will get justice in these situations.
“Crowe called me a nigger, choked me, and spat on me… if I were a white singer he wouldn’t have even thought about laying a finger on me. So many things like this happen in the entertainment industry and it’s time that ALL these perpetrators get reprimanded so they STOP this violent behavior!”
The alleged incident between Banks and Crowe saw the musician evicted from a Los Angeles party hosted by Crowe in October 2016.
Banks later called Crowe “a racist, misogynist pig”, before Crowe escaped charges over the alleged assault.
Last year, rapper RZA claimed that Crowe did “spit at” Banks during the incident.
At the time of writing, Azealia Banks’ crowdfunding campaign has raised $450 in its first hour.
See Banks’ Instagram post about the campaign, below. Her second album Fantasea II: The Second Wave is expected later this year.
