Azealia Banks

Bio:
Azealia Banks (born Azealia Amanda Banks on May 31, 1991 in Manhattan, New York City, New York) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Azealia grew up in Harlem, raised by her mother after her father died from pancreatic cancer. Azealia became interested in performing at a young age. By the time she was 10-years-old, she began performing in off-Broadway musicals. As a teen, she attended the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts. While performing in a musical, City of Angels, an agent discovered her and sent her for auditions at TBS, Niceklodeon and Law & Order. With no callbacks, Azealia shifted her focus on music. Under the name, Miss Bank$, she released her debut in 2008. She signed a development deal with XL Recording and worked with Richard Russell, but she left, citing conflicting ideas. Azealia released her first EP, 1991, in 2012. It reached 133 on the Billboard 200. She collaborated with Lady Gaga and Kanye West, but those songs haven’t been released yet. In 2012, she said her debut album would be titled Broke with Expensive Taste, and it was finally released in 2014, after fighting with Universal Music Group. In 2015, her tour with K. Michelle was cancelled and she revealed that dispute with her former management company will prevent her from releasing new music until March 2016.

Best Known For:
Azealia Banks is best known as a rapper and an outspoken voice on social media.

Personal Life:
Azealia identifies as bisexual. She is active in social and political causes, often expressing them on social media. She has argued with celebs like Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and most famously, Iggy Azalea. Azealia has been accused of homophobia for her use of certain slurs, a claim she denies. In 2015, she was involved in an incident on a Delta Airlines where she got into a fight with another passenger. She used a homophobic slur at a Delta employee during the exchange.