Azealia Banks

Azealia Banks is an American rapper and singer from Harlem, New York, who trained in performing arts as a child before turning to music in her teens. She first drew attention with early tracks circulated online, but it was «212», a brash, bass-heavy single built on a house-inspired beat, that established her as a distinctive voice in rap, earning acclaim from outlets like Pitchfork and NME for its sexually explicit, fast-paced delivery and unapologetic attitude.

Her 1991 EP and debut album Broke with Expensive Taste showcased a genre-fluid approach, blending hip-hop with house, ballroom, electro and pop influences, reflecting New York's underground club culture as much as its rap tradition. Tracks like «Liquorice» and «Anna Wintour» extended this eclecticism, pairing rapid-fire verses with dance and electronic production, a combination that set her apart from most of her rap contemporaries.

Banks has remained a polarizing but influential figure, known for her sharp, confrontational lyricism and willingness to cross genre lines fluidly between rap, dance and pop. Despite a career marked by delays and public controversies, her early work, particularly «212», is widely credited with anticipating the fusion of rap and club music that became more mainstream in the years that followed.