Q-Tip Gives Iggy Azalea a Hip-Hop History Lesson

The feud between rappers Azealia Banks and Iggy Azalea wages on. Last week, Banks gave an emotional radio interview about how the Australian rapper is appropriating hip-hop culture. Iggy responded by criticizing Banks on Twitter, calling her a “bigot” and saying that she’s making their feud racial. But rapper Q-Tip thinks Iggy still has a lot to learn. Over the weekend, he schooled Australian rapper Iggy on hip hop—literally. In a series of nearly 40 tweets, the hip-hop legend kindly shared a history lesson about the origins of the musical genre in an attempt to help Iggy understand the culture behind music she’s become a part of.

@IGGYAZALEA HipHop is a artistic and socio-political movement/culture that sprang from the disparate ghettos of NY in the early 70’s — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA Coming off the heels of the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT and approaching the end of the Vietnam war it was a crossroads 4 America — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA specially for blacks in the US our neighborhoods were PROLIFERATED w/a rush of HEROINE — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA our school systems here in NY dungeon traps with light for learning — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA blk men some of whom didn’t return from tours of duty n the ones who did came w/war baggage (agent orange, addiction, ect..) — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA these men had families but due to these events and throw into the mix the public emasculation… — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA they proved to be handicapped parents. The surrogate parents? The STREETS — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA the streets of gangs, crimes, and the hustlers coddled us and swept us up — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA but! Being a spirited, rhythmic & expressive people music art dance outlined our existence — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA it proved a way for us to exhault to scream to dance to laugh and find OUR VOICE — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA we weren’t at the time skilled musicians as kids. We had records, turntables, ideas and INGENUITY — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA being natural chemist we took from whatever was availed to us and we created something mighty and special — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA we cut breakbeats back n forth we took a hybrid of Jamaican toasting along w/ radio jock rap( hank Spann, Gary Byrd, ect.) and — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA we put our rap down.. — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA it was a neighborhood thing really. Black and Latino Kids were carving out their space and it became infectious — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA eventually Keith Cowboy coined the phrase hiphop . Yrs later the first rap record was recorded and now we r moving — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA but during these strides this country still had the monster of racism and racial insensitivity breathing and ruling — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA believe it or not young black n Latino lives specifically weren’t acknowledged in mainstream American culture unless Ofcourse.. — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA the convo was abt gangs , being criminals or uneducated. And hey! Like I stated early our families were rushed our schools — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA sucked and we were left to put devices to survive — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA but HIPHOP showed that we had DEPTH, fire, and BRILLANCE — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA the music was undeniable! It moved from NY N became national and even GLOBAL — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA hiphop now was FOR EVERYBODY!! All of those who cld relate to the roots, the spirit, the history, the energy.. It reached YOU — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA it touched your spirit n took u up. We magnetized you! That’s what BRILLANCE does — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA now u are fulfilling your dreams … BUT! — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA you have to take into account the HISTORY as you move underneath the banner of hiphop. As I said before — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA hiphop is fun it’s vile it’s dance it’s traditional it’s light hearted but 1 thing it can never detach itself from — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA is being a SOCIO-Political movement. U may ask why … Well — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA once you are born black your existence I believe is joined with socio-political epitaph and philos — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA based on the tangled and treacherous history SLAVERY alone this is the case — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA it never leaves our conversation… Ever. WeAther in our universities our dinner tables our studios or jail cells — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA the effects still resononates with us. It hurts… We get emotional and angry and melancholy — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA did u know president Clinton was the ONLY PRESIDENT to apologize for it? — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA did u know that remnants of slavery exist today thru white privilege? When certain “niceties” r extended your way because of — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA how u look? Isn’t that crazy? I say this 2 say u are a hiphop artist who has the right 2 express herself however she wishes — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA this is not a chastisement this is not admonishment at ALL this is just one artist reaching to another hoping to spark insight — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA into the field you r in. I say this in the spirit of a hopeful healthy dialogue that maybe one day we can continue — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA I’ve been on twitter a long time and this will probably be my last series of tweets pretty much but — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

@IGGYAZALEA I’m Kool with it as long as I got to share this w u. Zzzzzzz’s up! Peace! — QTip (@QtipTheAbstract) December 20, 2014

Atlanta rapper T.I., who publicly endorses Iggy, defended the Australian rapper on his own Twitter saying that while he agrees with Q-Tip about the source of hip-hop music, he believes it’s time that white rappers and Black rappers learn to “live in harmony.”

who U may not share many things in common with besides #HipHop. Understanding the plight assists U in knowing how to accept,respect… — T.I. (@Tip) December 22, 2014

& live in harmony even without a boatload of similarities. — T.I. (@Tip) December 22, 2014

What do you think?