Azealia Banks – Outrageous Racist or Magickal Vigilante ?

A week ago most people had never come across rapper Azealia Banks. She flew onto everyone’s radar on Saturday with just one tweet. It was as follows-

And time to put death spells on cops who kill innocent civilians and think they can get away with it….. OKURRRRRR?!

Immediately people began to respond on twitter with calls to the ancient magicks and the ancestors. People called Azealia a racist, and some Wiccans even chimed in with the three fold law. If there were any Pagans out there that thought they didn’t have “a nickel in this quarter,” they must admit they do now. Much has been written about #BlackLivesMatter here on Patheos Pagan and elsewhere. I wrote my own piece in response to the violence and unrest, standing in solidarity with the other mothers, as the parent of a murdered child and a woman of color. But be whether you call it courage or audacity, Azealia Banks ( a self-described witch) has taken these discussions to a whole new level.

For me, as a Voodoo priestess, serious questions of ethics are always involved. Most of the questions I get however, usually stem from ignorance and fear about this and other traditional African Religions. Zombies and Voodoo dolls are only some of the things tainted by inaccurate myth. There are however many ways to deal with enemies and dangers, especially when you are in the right. Personally and professionally, I gave up making value judgments a long time ago. Rap is about resistance and Voodoo is too.  People have done some extreme things to protect their home and family. Voodoo, Vodou, and other African diasporan religions are built on the backs of slavery and oppression, and it’s protection magicks are strong. Is it wrong for Ms. Banks or others to call on the power of their ancestors to protect their “innocent” loved ones? Are people upset because she called for death ? Because it’s the police? Most likely a combination of all of these, with a few more thrown in.

I find it interesting that while much of the media has picked up Azealia Banks’ “hot tweet,” the original statement didn’t get that much attention ( only 139 retweets as I write this 3 days later.) It may not have gotten any attention at all had it not been Martin Luther King jr. weekend. In any case it was conveniently timed. Personally I’m not exactly sure what she was advocating, candles, chants, or something more. 140 characters doesn’t leave much room for interpretation.

I would love to hear what everyone thinks about these issues of magick, justice, and retribution, please leave your thoughts in the comments below. And remember sharing is caring !