阿泽莉亚·班克斯

Azealia Amanda Banks ( ə-ZEE-lee-ə; born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Her debut single "212" became a defining song of the 2010s and appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2021. Banks is also known for her controversial social media presence and outspoken views, which have received significant publicity. Banks was the first and only female on Forbes' inaugural Hip Hop Cash Princes list in 2014, after her tours between 2012-2013 generated over $1 million dollars, only 2 years after the release of "212" and with no debut album. Consequently, she was dubbed 'Hip-Hop's Cash Princess'.

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. She subsequently signed with Interscope and Polydor Records before separating in 2013. Banks became an independent artist and started her own independent record label, Chaos & Glory Recordings. She later signed to Parlophone and Warner Records before quitting her label in 2023. Banks has released three mixtapes (Fantasea in 2012, Slay-Z in 2016, and Yung Rapunxel Pt.II in 2019), two studio albums (Broke with Expensive Taste in 2014 and Zenzealia in 2026), and two extended plays (1991 in 2012 and Icy Colors Change in 2018). In 2017, Banks had her film debut in the musical drama Love Beats Rhymes, portraying the lead character. Banks's works have garnered acclaim from critics, drawing on various sounds including house, rap, pop, electronic music, and avant-garde.

Throughout her career, Banks has generated controversy for her views on U.S. politics and race, as well as disputes with other artists. She has been accused of homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia towards multiple nationalities. Complex wrote in 2014 that "she gets more attention for her public feuds than she does for her music".

Life and career

Early life and career beginnings

Azealia Amanda Banks was born on May 31, 1991, in New York City's Manhattan borough; she was the youngest of three. Her single mother raised her and her two siblings in Harlem, after their father died of pancreatic cancer when she was two years old. Following her father's death, Banks says that her mother "became really abusive—physically and verbally. 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. 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.

At a young age, Banks became interested in musical theater, dancing, acting, and singing. At 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. At this point Banks decided to end her pursuit of an acting career, citing the stiff competition and overall sense of nonfulfillment. Because of this lack of fulfillment, she began writing rap and R&B songs as a creative outlet. She never finished high school, instead choosing to embark on a career as a recording artist.