Rapper Azealia Banks moving to Tel Aviv
The American rapper, who once vowed never to return to Israel after claiming racist treatment, now says she's relocating to Tel Aviv: If you told me this years ago, I would have thought you were crazy
"Moving here. If you told me years ago that I would end up moving to Tel Aviv and loving it, I would have said you were crazy," the rapper wrote alongside an Israeli flag emoji.
The announcement comes just days before Banks is scheduled to perform in Israel again, at a show set for October 8 at Amphitheater Tel Aviv. She has been spending time in the country recently and has been working on new music with Israeli producer Yinon Yahel.
From "never coming back" to "I'm a Zionist"
For anyone who has followed Banks over the years, the decision to move to Tel Aviv is particularly surprising. The rapper, who broke into global consciousness with the hit "212," first came to perform in Israel in 2018. After that visit, she claimed she experienced racist treatment and declared she would not return to Israel.
But seven years later, in June 2025, Banks declared on social media: "I'm a Zionist," came out against the cultural boycott of Israel, and expressed public support for the country. In October of that year she returned to perform in Tel Aviv, even taking the stage wrapped in an Israeli flag. During the visit she also went to the site of the Nova party massacre, Yad Vashem, and the Dead Sea.
Even since then, her relationship with Israel hasn't exactly remained stable. In March 2026 she changed her tone again and published a series of sharp posts against Israel and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Then, a few months later, she planned to return for another performance in the country.
And now it appears the pendulum has swung back the other way: Banks is not settling for a visit or another performance, but is declaring that Tel Aviv is about to become her new home.
Banks, a New York native, broke through in the early 2010s and is considered one of the most colorful and controversial figures in the rap world. Alongside "212," she is known for songs like "Anna Wintour," "Liquorice," and "The Big Big Beat," and throughout her career has stirred up many storms following public statements and confrontations on social media.
