The music press has named 20-year-old Azealia Banks from Harlem,
New York, one of the main artists to watch in 2012 and the other
day she revealed she's bisexual. (As if we hadn't seen it
coming.)
All winter long, Azealia's hit song "212" (scroll down for
video), produced together with Lazy Jay, has heated up the
nation's dance floors, making us blush with excitement as we've
chanted along to some very explicit lyrics about the art of
cunnilingus.
Earlier this week it was time for Azealia to spread some of that
heat in a cold-snapped Sheffield with a sold-out performance at The
Plug and I was lucky enough to have a ticket.
Electro R&B group Dems has established a sort of lukewarm
temperature inside the intimate-feeling room when a mega-mix of
club classics is blasted out and Miss Banks enters the stage.
She's wearing skinny jeans, a bright pink fluffy jacket, shades
and a t-shirt reading "Imma Ruin You Kunt" and you instantly know
you're in for a rather rude roller-coaster ride.
Azealia opens her mouth and out comes a bewildering stream of
high-pitched lyrics, performed in the sexiest NY accent I've heard
in a while.
The crowd, best described as hip and queer, with many girls
sporting some very short shorts, goes crazy and Azealia raps about
her Nudie jeans looking better than her Levis in Barbie Shit.
Her rap flow is immaculately smooth and in the league with Busta
Rhymes in terms of speed; this girl is busting out some serious
superstar vibes as she kills beat after beat.
Nicki Minaj may have been last year's hype but the Freaky Friday
Lady Gaga of hip-hop has nothing on this girl (who even claims she
is having an allergic reaction but still keeps her stuff
together).
It isn't always easy to make out what Azealia is saying but
'pussy', 'nigga' and 'bitch' certainly make up a large percentage
of the word count. Girl's got one filthy mouth.
Although we don't get to see much of the infamous '212' dance, the
girls at the front get more than their money's worth when Azealia
flings her top off and starts jumping around in her bikini top
alone. Hello.
'This is the reason all you motherfuckers came out tonight,' she
shouts hinting at her hit song and sure enough, that well-known
drumbeat kicks in.
Azealia screams her way through the party anthem, bringing her
crowd to ecstatic levels in a manner not too different to that of a
heavy metal singer. The '212' beat fades into the Prodigy's
'Firestarter' and it feels like things finally are about to really
kick off, in a good way. Only that's when it ends.
Azealia and her DJ leave the stage and we are left in a state of
anticlimax. 25 minutes, is that it? It is, and I suddenly
understand her management refusing her to give interviews, claiming
Azealia needs time to work on her album.
Stepping out into the cold outside I conclude that the set is a
bit like Azealia herself; short but sweet. And very rude.
Azealia Banks is touring the UK all through February
and all of her shows are currently sold out.
Azealia is a keen tweeter. Here are some of her recent
tweets:
'I wrote 212 during a two-week-long lonesome rave in my apartment
on dyckman st, a month before getting evicted.'
'The NWORD just makes everything sound cooler. Haha'
'I love the Gays.'
'Lol I really love talking about pussy juice!'
'Been eating soo much sushi lately. *pause*'
'Rihanna, marry me... Please...... :('
(PHOTO CREDIT: Matt Barnes)
