Azealia Banks apologises on Facebook for homophobia and says 'words hurt'

Rapper Azealia Banks has apologised on her Facebook page for using a homophobic word in the past.

The 25-year-old has said she'll never use the word again and says she's realised that "words hurt".

The star's Twitter account was blocked in May after a string of aggressive tweets directed at former One Direction singer, Zayn Malik.

She was also dropped from this month's grime and hip-hop festival Born & Bred in Haggerston, east London.

In her Facebook message, she wrote: "While I may be immune to every word and be thicker skinned than most, it doesn't mean that I get to go around treating people with the same toughness that made my skin so thick.

"Because, that IS how people get thick skin... by being subjected to name calling/belittlement/abuse and its not fair.

"Not fair to my fans, not fair to my peers but most importantly, Not fair to myself."

Azealia Banks insulted Zayn Malik after accusing him of copying her video for Yung Rapunxel on Like I Would last month.

After posting screenshots from both videos, she began a racist and homophobic rant.

Azealia Banks posted this collage to suggest Zayn had copied some of her ideas

She deleted the tweets afterwards but had her account blocked, although she continued her rants on Instagram.

She also had a go at 14-year-old Disney actress Skai Jackson and even had time to criticise Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Lil Kim.

But the New York rapper says people have the wrong impression of her.

"I'm sweet, I'm kind, I'm caring, I'm generous, I love to make people laugh and above all of it, I LOVE ART," she writes.

"I love to please and inspire others with my music and art the most, More than I love anything in the world.

"To lose out on a chance to make people feel good and smile and be happy would be the dumbest thing i could do in this lifetime.

"To end this note I want to SINCERELY apologize to my fans for having let so many of you down over the years."

In the past, some people have suggested Azealia Banks "gets more attention for her public feuds than she does for her music".

Iggy Azalea, TI, Lil Kim, Beyonce, former US politician Sarah Palin and her own management have all been targets of her Twitter rants.

She was filmed last September using the same homophobic word towards a flight attendant.

Earlier last year she had to explain why she'd used the term "white face" in a tweet - an offensive term in America.

The rapper also cancelled a number of gigs in the US saying she was "busy at work" and was charged with assaulting a security guard at a New York nightclub in December.

She released her debut album, Broke with Expensive Taste, in 2014 and had a minor hit with the track 212, which made it to number 12 on the Official Singles Chart.

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