Azealia Banks Biography

Azealia Banks is a young female rapper, songwriter and actress from America. She signed with a label for the first time when she was only 17. She is known for her debut single 212, which she released at the end of 2011. In 2016 she released the mixtape Slay-Z. She is known as outspoken and controversial. In 2017, Azealia will have a new release, named Business & Pleasure;.

Early Life & Career

Azealia Banks was born in 1991 in Manhattan. Her father died when she was only 2 and her mother became extremely abusive. Eventually, Azealia moved away with her older sister. At the age of 10, she became interested in music theatre and performed in off-Broadway musicals. Furthermore, Azaelia trained at the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts. She first tried her luck with acting but didn’t manage to stand out. Consequently, she began creating music and uploading it on Myspace, as Miss Bank$. She signed with XL Recordings but didn’t stay there long. For a while, she worked in clubs to sustain herself.

Breakthrough & Album

On the verge of depression, Banks released her debut single 212 as a free download. The song reached number 12 in the UK and received very positive reviews. Furthermore, she began working on her debut album. In 2012, she released a mixtape, Fantasea, via Twitter. The young singer’s first EP, 1991, made it into the US Billboard 200 and received a gold certification. Additionally, she collaborated with both Lady Gaga and Kanye West but the songs didn’t make the final cuts of the albums. In 2014, Banks released her own album, Broke with Expensive Taste. The record peaked at number 30 in the US.

Photo source: Discogs