Who Is Azealia Banks?

Dubbed by some as “one of the hottest new female MCs- is a 20-year old Harlemite that doesn’t mind banging on wax and selling out tours all across Europe. With her hit, “212- making noise and New York swagger in tow, she’s working toward making you know her name. Who is she? A LaGuardia High School of Music & Performing Arts alumna that has used Youtube as a vehicle to get her voice heard, who’s not really feeling Nicki Minaj comparisons and who topped Brit mag NME’s annual Cool List in 2011.

Even though Azealia and Nicki went to the same school, she wants to pave her own way. “I kind of felt like she had stolen all my ideas,- Banks spoke candidly in a Village Voice interview. “A part of me was convinced that was like, -˜Yo, she’s got someone on the internet stealing all my ideas. It has to be!…Then I kind of just had to look at it, like maybe we might just be on the same level consciously or artistically. Maybe we just have similar ideas.-

“Once I started to think about it like that, I really forced myself to change my ideas. Because I felt like a lot of those ideas were kind of contrived in a sense? And then I was like, -˜If I’m gonna get up here and do this and I can’t do what I originally planned to do because, for whatever reason, this woman is already doing it, I need to go back to the drawing board and reconfigure what I was going to do,- she states.

A UK tour, new singles with collaboration from successful producer Paul Epworth -“ who has worked with the likes of Cee Lo Green and Adele -“ and a new record deal, and everyone will soon know the name of Azealia Banks.

After ending her deal with XL Recordings, Azealia is now signed to Universal Music. She tweeted,”God just dealt me a new hand today I reaaaaaaaaaaallllly good hand [sic],” Azealia tweeted. “I am now officially signed to Universal Music.”

Her UK Tour kicks off on Feb. 6th, and from the looks of her website, azealiabanks.com, the whole month of February is already sold out. That’s fresh.