Azealia Banks at 2013 Glastonbury Festival

American rapper

Azealia Banks Azealia Amanda Banks ( ; born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, she began releasing music through Myspace in 2008 before being signed to XL Recordings at age 18. In 2 ...

has recorded songs for one

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, one

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) and two

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

s, as well as various other releases and guest appearances. Between 2009 and 2011, Banks uploaded several

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

tracks on to the internet, including "Barbie Shit", "P-U-S-S-Y" and "Seventeen". These tracks caught the attention of

XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been ran and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. Although only releasing an average of six album ...

, who subsequently signed a developmental record deal with Banks. In 2011, Banks self-released "

212 Year 212 (Roman numerals, CCXII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Asper and Camilius (or, less frequently, year 965 '' ...

" as the lead single from her debut EP, ''

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

''. "212" was a commercial success, peaking within the Top 40 of the regional charts in Ireland, Scotland, and the United Kingdom, later being certified platinum by the latter. The EP also spawned the single "

Liquorice Liquorice (British English) or licorice (American English) ( ; also ) is the common name of ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'', a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring can be extracted. The liqu ...

", which failed to mirror the success of its predecessor. In July 2012, Banks released a free nineteen-track mixtape titled '' Fantasea'', which included collaborations with

Shystie Chanel Cali (born 25 December 1983), better known by her stage name Shystie, is an English rapper, songwriter and actress. Her mother was born and raised in Barbados and her father was born and raised in Grenada, making her heritage West-Indian. ...

and

Styles P David R. Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Styles P (also known mononymously as Styles), is an American rapper, best known as a member of hip hop group the Lox, alongside childhood friends Sheek Louch and Jadakiss. ...

. The mixtape received positive reviews from critics, with ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' commenting that it "showcase an artist brimming with ideas". Throughout 2013, Banks released various stand-alone tracks, including

diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the ...

s to

Angel Haze Raykeea Raeen-Roes Wilson (born July 10, 1991) known professionally as ROES (fka Angel Haze), is an American rapper and singer. In 2012, Wilson released the mixtape ''Reservation'' and later signed a record deal with Universal Republic Records be ...

and

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide", ...

, a collaboration with

Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Mass ...

titled "Venus", and a promotional single with

Pharrell Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he ...

titled "

ATM Jam "ATM Jam" is a song by American rapper Azealia Banks featuring vocals and sole production from fellow American rapper Pharrell Williams. The track was released in 2013, originally serving as the second single from Banks' debut studio album, ''Brok ...

". In November 2014, after numerous delays, Banks' debut studio album, ''

Broke with Expensive Taste ''Broke with Expensive Taste'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Azealia Banks. In 2011, Banks started working on the album despite not having signed to a record label at that time. A year later, she signed a contract deal with Inters ...

'', was released. The album spawned four singles, "

Yung Rapunxel "Yung Rapunxel" (stylized as #YUNGRAPUNXEL) is a song recorded by American singer/rapper Azealia Banks for her debut studio album titled ''Broke with Expensive Taste''. Interscope Records released the song as the album's first single to mainstream ...

", " Heavy Metal and Reflective", " Chasing Time" and "

Ice Princess ''Ice Princess'' is a 2005 American Teen film, teen Sports film, sports comedy-drama film directed by Tim Fywell, written by Hadley Davis from a story by Meg Cabot and Davis, and starring Joan Cusack, Michelle Trachtenberg, Kim Cattrall and Hayde ...

". The singles had limited commercial impact compared to that of "212", with none of them managing to break into any mainstream charts. To promote her album, a music video for the track "

Wallace Wallace may refer to: People * Clan Wallace in Scotland * Wallace (given name) * Wallace (surname) * Wallace (footballer, born 1986), full name Wallace Fernando Pereira, Brazilian football left-back * Wallace (footballer, born 1987), full name ...

" was released, to widespread acclaim from critics. Banks' overall sound has been described as a mix of

hardcore hip hop Hardcore hip hop (also hardcore rap) is a genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Run-DMC, Schoolly D, Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy, it is generally cha ...

and

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

, while her individual releases have been seen as house rap, witch hop, and

dance pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

records, respectively.

Songs

Pharrell Williams – Coachella 2014 (cropped)

Notes

References

External links

Azealia Banks
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

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