Azealia Banks, Russell Crowe Reportedly Clash At Hotel Bash

The rapper accuses actor of assault, but other guests at the party dispute her account

Rapper Azealia Banks allegedly got into an altercation with actor Russell Crowe during a private dinner party held at the Beverley Hills Hotel on Saturday night.

TMZ reports that Crowe hosted about 10 guests, including Wu Tang Clan’s RZA, who worked with Crowe on 2012 film The Man With The Iron Fist. RZA apparently brought Banks as his plus-one.

Things went awry, according to TMZ, when Banks began laughing at Crowe’s music selections and then referred to the actor and one other guest as “boring white men.” When other guests jumped to Crowe’s defense, Banks allegedly made verbal and physical threats, TMZ notes:

“Instead, we’re told she made an insane speech/threat to Crowe and the woman …’You would love it if I broke my glass, stabbed you guys in the throat, and blood would squirt everywhere like some real Tarantino shit’. Then for good measure, witnesses say she dropped a few n-bombs … yet Crowe remained surprisingly calm.

“We’re told Azealia reached for her glass, cocked it back … and that’s when Russell had enough — he grabbed her in a bear hug and carried her out of the suite. He then called hotel security guards who removed Azealia from the grounds.”

Following the alleged incident, Banks took the Twitter and claimed Crowe was the instigator. “To recap my night, I went to a party at Russell Crowe’s (sic) suite, at which he called me a n****r, choked me, threw me out and spat at me,” she wrote, adding, “Last night was one of the hardest nights of sleep I’ve had in a long time. The men in the room allowed it to happen. I feel terrible today.” Banks later deleted the tweet.

According to TMZ, at least four of the guests — including RZA — gave statements to police, and all four used the word “erratic” to describe Banks’ behavior.

In December 2015, the 25-year-old Banks was charged with misdemeanor assault, attempted assault, and disorderly conduct after allegedly biting a female bouncer outside a New York City night club. She was also caught hurling homophobic slurs at an airline flight attendant during an in-flight incident in September 2015.