''Fantasea'' is the debut

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 ...

by 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 ...

, released as a free download on July 11, 2012.

Background

Banks first announced the possibility of a mixtape on May 10, when she

tweeted Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, "So y'all will be getting, ''1991'' EP this month, the ''FANTASTIC'' mixtape for the summer, and ''Broke With Expensive Taste'', in the Fall". On May 30, Banks took to Twitter again to announce her plans to alter the title of the mixtape from ''Fantastic'' to ''Fantasea''. Banks released the album cover of "Fantasea" via Instagram on July 9. Banks later confirmed that ''Fantasea'' would have 18 tracks (15 originals and 3 remixes). Via Twitter, Banks spoke on the mixtape saying "Fantasea is almost kind of a first album of sorts....but it happened by mistake.... It's weird". "This is a test run... I tried a lot of cool things... Sounds I thought were progressive, beats made by close friends, different flowsss."

Critical reception

Fantasea garnered highly positive reviews from music critics. ''The Guardian''s Graeme Virtue wrote that the mixtape "showcase[s] an artist brimming with ideas" and gave it a rating of four stars (out of five). ''Spin'' gave the album a rating of 8 out of 10 and wrote that the album "makes her [Banks] sounds mega-industrious."

Promotion

Song releases

On May 11, 2012, Banks released the track "Jumanji (Azealia Banks song), Jumanji" online as a free digital download. Produced by Hudson Mohawke and Nick Hook, the track served as the first song set to feature on the upcoming mixtape. A second track, "Aquababe"—produced by EPROM and Machinedrum—was released online on June 13. Ahead of its release on July 11, Banks released a third track, "Nathan" on June 30. Featuring Americans, American rapper Styles P, "Nathan" was produced by Drums of Death. Azealia spoke on the song Nathan saying "I'm that rap girl who's out here and doesn't have another rapper behind her, but she's got all this mouth and she's all over the place, So [this collaboration] was cool for me [because I'm like] 'What ya'll gonna say now, when I bust out with that Styles P record?' Ya'll not gon' call me fake and make fun of me for having one song. Yeah, I make lil' dance music and ya'll got jokes, whatever—watch when I come out with the Styles P record." Banks released the song "Neptune" featuring Shystie online on July 10, 2012. She also released music videos for "Luxury" and "Atlantis" on September 27 and November 11, 2012, respectively. "Esta Noche" was planned to be released as the mixtape's first official single on September 25, 2012, but due to the song's producer, Munchi (DJ), Munchi, refusing to give permission for the track's release, the plans were cancelled.

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 2012 mixtape albums Albums produced by AraabMuzik Albums produced by Diplo Azealia Banks compilation albums Albums produced by Hudson Mohawke Witch house (genre) albums Seapunk albums