I remember once she threw out all the food in the fridge, just so we wouldn't have anything to eat." Due to escalating violence, Banks moved out of her mother's home at age 14 to live with her older sister. Like she would hit me and my sisters with baseball bats, bang our heads up against walls, and she would always tell me I was ugly. Following her father's death, Banks says that her mother "became really abusive-physically and verbally. Her single mother raised her and her two siblings in Harlem, after their father died of pancreatic cancer when she was two years old. Life and career Early life and career beginningsĪzealia Amanda Banks was born on May 31, 1991, in New York City's Manhattan borough she was the youngest of three. 3.2 Sexuality and views on the LGBT community.1.4 2017–present: Icy Colors Change and upcoming projects.1.3 2013–2016: Broke with Expensive Taste and Slay-Z.She has developed a reputation for having disputes with public figures on Twitter before being banned from the platform. politics and race, have attracted significant controversy, criticism, and media scrutiny. Throughout her career, Banks' social media presence and outspoken views, especially on U.S. In December 2017, Banks had her film debut in the musical drama Love Beats Rhymes, portraying the lead character. The lead singles from each respective album, " Anna Wintour" and " Black Madonna" were released in April 2018 and June 2020 respectively. Her long-delayed second and third studio albums, Fantasea II: The Second Wave and Business & Pleasure, await release. Banks ultimately became an independent artist and started her own independent record label, Chaos & Glory Recordings, after multiple negative experiences with previous labels.īanks has released three mixtapes ( Fantasea in 2012, Slay-Z in 2016, and Yung Rapunxel: Pt.II in 2019), one studio album ( Broke with Expensive Taste in 2014), and two extended plays ( 1991 in 2012 and Icy Colors Change in 2018). Banks subsequently signed with Interscope and Polydor Records before later separating in July 2013. In 2011, her debut single " 212" went viral and entered several international charts. Raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, she began releasing music through Myspace in 2008 before being signed to XL Recordings at age 18. Azealia Amanda Banks ( / ə ˈ z iː l i ə/ ə- ZEE-lee-ə born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter.