Tweet This
Sometimes all it takes is one song. For Azealia Banks, that was “212,” a raucous rap over a tom-drum driven beat which began infecting clubs and headphones in 2011. Originally released free online, its black and white video of Banks mouthing expletives while bouncing around in a Mickey Mouse sweater soon went viral, bringing with it the first of many public hiccups as the song’s original producer, Lazy Jay, demanded all copies be taken down for copyright infringement.
She made good with Lazy Jay and “212” went on to become a 200,000-selling single. Two and a half years later, Azealia Banks is the only female on the first-ever Hip-Hop Cash Princes list. She’s already performed around the world, playing festival stages from Coachella to Reading. As we noted, between June 2012 and June 2013 – the scoring period for our Cash Kings list – Banks pulled in over $1 million before management and lawyer fees, mostly through live shows. And she has yet to release a full-length record.
“Azealia Banks’ album is the Internet’s favorite joke,” sighs the 22-year-old on a call from Los Angeles, where she is putting the finishing touches on Broke With Expensive Taste, her long-awaited and much-delayed debut. “I’m fine laughing at it.”
Indeed, Banks’ inclusion on our list of Hip-Hop Cash Princes may seem surprising. What about female rappers like Angel Haze, the venom tongued 20-year-old who reportedly leaked her own debut Dirty Gold in December, causing her label to rush release it to disappointing sales? Or Iggy Azalea, the Australian Island Def Jam-signed MC whose 2013 single “Work” has over 30 million YouTube views?
The Hip-Hop Cash Princes list gives a nod to ten of rap’s most commercially-successful rising stars – the ones with the best chance of making the Cash Kings list in the near future. It is Banks’ touring power – her shows gross a respectable $21,000 a night, according to PollstarPro – that swayed our panel of judges.
Key to Banks’ success has been her distinctive sound. A dance-influenced high-energy version of rap, often featuring production from forward-thinking electronic musicians like Machinedrum and Hudson Mohawke, her music has struck a chord worldwide in just one 2012 mixtape and EP, the latter of which of which has sold about 32,000 copies in the U.S.
“I really just feel like nowadays this generation of kids – 16-25 year olds – have the Internet in our hands,” said Banks. “We’re obsessively communicating with each other. I’m in that demographic and I’ve been able to really connect with people just by being myself. I’m really lucky that my personality is something that people are interested in.”
In Pictures: Hip-Hop Cash Princes 2014
Yet with more Twitter feuds than singles released, Banks’ social media presence has occasionally tilted the spotlight away from her music and onto her public persona. Still, she seems determined to put the focus back on the tracks. Banks’ personal playlists remain eclectic: recent favorites include producer Lil Internet, synth electronica artist Com Truise, and jazz classic Duke Ellington.
“I did a song with Ariel Pink on my album which is really weird, it’s a legitimate rock song – I’m wailing like Tina Turner,” Banks gushes excitedly.
Of course, Banks isn’t the only rapper on our roster without a major label record out. Unsigned newcomer Chance the Rapper has yet to release an album, though few would consider his second accomplished mixtape, Acid Rap, to be anything short of a debut.
But with Banks’ fellow Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Art classmate Nicki Minaj the only female on our Cash Kings list, one wonders why there isn’t room for more female rappers on the charts.
“Because there aren’t that many good female rappers, it’s really that simple,” says Banks. “There are certain things in society that are gender-oriented – it’s such an anomaly to be a female rapper.”
Now she’s preparing to head out on another European tour and awaiting a summer release date for her album. And if she becomes a Cash Queen, you can bet it’ll be on her own terms. Says Banks: “Vagina power is like, the power of the world.”
Full Coverage: Hip-Hop Cash Princes 2014
Follow me on Twitter @natrobe.
