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2022 is rapidly shaping up to be the Summer Of Black Dance thanks to new releases from Drake and Beyonce that tapped into the sounds of early and contemporary house music. While Drake shocked the world with the release of his surprise album Honestly, Nevermind, Beyonce brought the energy with her motivational anthem “Break My Soul,” earning approval from house music pioneer Robin S. in the process. This has prompted an ongoing discussion about the role of Black Americans in the creation of house music and related forms and their place in the current subculture.
One of the ways this discussion has manifested itself is in renewed or increased attention to the works of artists in the space like Kaytranada, Leikeli47, Doechii, and Azealia Banks. Some enterprising fans have even taken to creating mashups of “Break My Soul” with songs by Azealia Banks — a time-honored tradition of the dance music scene.
Unfortunately for those fans, Azealia Banks herself is not having it. The outspoken, often controversial Harlem rapper has never been afraid to upset the apple cart or take aim at sacred cows, and despite no cow being more sacred than Beyonce, Banks risked the Beyhive’s ire to demand fans stop mixing the two artists’ music. “Please for the love of God, stop the ‘Break My Soul’ AB mashups,” she wrote in a post on her Instagram Story. “They are horrible.”
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For what it’s worth, the main mashup I was able to find online — which added AB’s verses from “F*ck Him All Night” to Beyonce’s new runaway hit — is highly competent and sounds pretty good, but let’s face it: Azealia Banks has always been a bit of a contrarian (he wrote with as much sarcasm as he could muster). Given that her ongoing and growing list of feuds includes Cardi B, Elon Musk, Kanye West, Megan Thee Stallion, and more, it doesn’t seem that Banks has any qualms about adding yet another fan-favorite media personality to that list.
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