US rapper Azealia Banks gives surprise backing to Kemi Badenoch – ‘iconic’

Kemi Badenoch has attracted the endorsement of a US rapper, Azealia Banks, who branded the Tory leader “f****** iconic” as she claimed world leaders would respect her “professionalism”. The 34-year-old American singer and songwriter earned worldwide fame with her single “212”, which made its way onto a list of the greatest songs of all time in 2021.

In another viral tweet, the controversial singer branded Mr Farage a “goofball” and Rupert Lowe, the leader of Restore Britain, as “grumpy”. She added that Mrs Badenoch was “not a punk” and was not “running her mouthy and talking s***”, claiming that the Tory leader could “go to war with Putin and win”.

The run of online posts started with the singer, who once referred to Russian president Vladimir Putin as her “favourite super villain ever”, saying “I hope you all vote conservative and listen to Kemi Badenoch”. Born in Harlem, the rapper is no stranger to controversy and has often spoken disparagingly about other countries.

In 2019, she claimed to have been banned from an Irish airline and referred to herself as “Queen of Ireland” in an Instagram post. In a separate incident, she accused Swedish people of being racist before sharing a post calling for the country to be bombed.

Perplexed social media users reacted to the string of tweets by Ms Banks, with one remarking “that’s Kemi’s 2026 party conference music sorted” in reference to the singer’s extensive discography. Another claimed Ms Badenoch was “Thatcher’s twin” in a reply to the singer.

It is not the first time that the singer has shared complimentary comments on Conservative politicians. In a long post made earlier this year, she said that “David Cameron’s Britain was the last aspirational Britain. The pound was at $1.70, The Chiltern Firehouse was hot, Sakura in Mayfair was open, everybody was well dressed and well spoken”.

She added: “I used to LOOOOOOOVE Britain. I used to be able to frolic around outside at night in London.” Continuing with her praise of the former Tory prime minister, she even added that the country “lost all appeal” when he left office.

Welcoming the praise, Conservative activist Luke Robert Black told the Daily Express: “I agree with Azealia Banks that Kemi is that young sis, the beacon, and is the prime minister that we so urgently need in the UK.”