Banks sent both tracks to American DJ Diplo. The recording was accompanied by the self-produced track 'Seventeen', which sampled the Ladytron song of the same name. Under the moniker Miss Bank$, she released her debut recording, 'Gimme a Chance', online on November 9, 2008. She never finished high school, instead choosing to follow her dream of becoming a recording artist. Because of this lack of fulfillment, she began writing rap and R&B songs as a creative outlet. At this point Banks decided to end her pursuit of an acting career, citing the stiff competition and overall sense of nonfulfillment. At age 16, she starred in a production of the comedy-noir musical City of Angels, where she was found by an agent who sent her to auditions for TBS, Nickelodeon, and Law & Order, all without success.

Īt a young age, Banks became interested in musical theater, dancing, acting, and singing.

I remember once she threw out all the food in the fridge, just so we wouldn't have anything to eat.' Due to escalating violence, Banks moved out of her mother's home at age 14 to live with her older sister. Like she would hit me and my sisters with baseball bats, bang our heads up against walls, and she would always tell me I was ugly.

Following her father's death, Banks says that her mother 'became really abusive-physically and verbally. Her single mother raised her and her two siblings in Harlem, after their father died of pancreatic cancer when she was two years old. Life and career Early life and career beginningsĪzealia Amanda Banks was born on May 31, 1991, in New York City's Manhattan borough she was the youngest of three. Complex noted in 2014 that 'she gets more attention for her public feuds than she does for her music'. politics and race, as well as disputes with other artists, have attracted significant controversy. Throughout her career, Banks's social media presence and outspoken views, especially on U.S. Banks' works have garnered acclaim from critics, drawing on various sounds including house, rap, pop, electronic music and avant-garde. In December 2017, Banks had her film debut in the musical drama Love Beats Rhymes, portraying the lead character. She has subsequently released two mixtapes ( Fantasea in 2012, and Slay-Z in 2016), one studio album ( Broke with Expensive Taste in 2014), and two extended plays ( 1991 in 2012 and Icy Colors Change in 2018). She is currently signed to Parlophone and Warner Records.īanks's song ' 212' has been listed as one of the best songs of 2011 and one of the defining songs of the decade by music publications, including Rolling Stone and Billboard. Banks became an independent artist and started her own independent record label, Chaos & Glory Recordings. She subsequently signed with Interscope and Polydor Records before later separating in July 2013. 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. Azealia Amanda Banks ( / ə ˈ z iː l i ə/ ə- ZEE-lee-ə born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter.

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