PEOPLE

Azealia Banks responds to Russell Crowe, RZA

Jayme Deerwester
USA TODAY

Azealia Banks is back on the offensive in her feud with Russell Crowe.

Azealia Banks says she's no longer inclined to press charges against Russell Crowe but still wants a public apology.

Earlier this week, she lodged a police complaint against him and demanded a public apology, accusing him of using a racial slur, spitting on her and throwing her out of a party in his Beverly Hills Hotel suite.

Now she's moved on to public insults, which she has previously hurled at Zayn Malik, Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora, among others.

“I’ve got youth and beauty, and he’s got beer belly and jowls!” she told US Weekly, mocking the 52-year-old Gladiator star. " “I got music. I got music, and I got youth.”

Things at the party went irretrievably south when the 25-year-old rapper told one of Crowe's other guests that his new horror film would "suck."

Banks says the Oscar winner turned to her and said, "Hey, you haven’t done anything in your career, and you’re so young, and you don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know what you’re talking about, you haven’t done anything in your career."

Her reaction? "I’m just like, ‘OK, well, you’re not poppin’ anymore. Your best days are behind you, Russell Crowe. Nobody’s checking for Russell Crowe right now.’”

That exchange spiraled into a physical confrontation that Banks says led Crowe to call her the N-word and grab her by the neck, throwing her out of the suite.

On Thursday, rapper/director RZA admitted he was embarrassed he'd brought her as his guest. He publicly defended Crowe on Facebook, whom he directed in 2012's The Man With the Iron Fists, saying he'd never heard him use that word. He described Banks' behavior as "obnoxious" and "erratic."

RZA sides with Russell Crowe in Azealia Banks feud

In her interview with Us Weekly, Banks fired back at Crowe, saying, "Even if I were being erratic, you should have enough sense to have me escorted out properly and keep your hands and your spit to yourself."

She indicated she is no longer leaning towards pressing formal charges but still wants the public mea culpa. “You could apologize to me for free now and make this all go away."