tuneage:

Azealia Banks - 212

Azealia Banks is just one bad ass bitch. She’s blowing up right now. Kanye follows her on twitter, Pitchfork featured her in the top 10 tracks of 2011, she played a show at Karl Lagerfeld’s house and Universal Records signed her in January. Also, she was just profiled by the New York Times

The high school dropout comes from Harlem but attended private schools early in her life and as a listener, you can definitely pick up on these dichotomous lives she experienced.

The “212” music video has been out for almost six months but is just now picking up the public’s attention. I love this song not only for its raunchy content but also because it shows just how talented a of an artist Azealia Banks is. She’s also a great collaborator: the guy in this video is Montreal producer Jacques Greene who was just tapped by Radiohead to remix their King of Limbs album.

The sound of “212” is current, she says her inspiration comes from the streets, but clearly Azealia been influenced by previous generations and genres of music. She pulls together a wide array of these influences in “212,” I don’t even think I could name them all. There’s the unsymmetrical chorus, the synth undertones, the pop backbeat that’s also vaguely latin and the perfect cartoon voice of satire. Her sound is unique and infectious.

It’s Superbowl Sunday in the United States but you can find me shrine of Banks, not of the Patriots or Giants.