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It’s hard to know where to start with Azealia Banks. The young Harlem native’s path to fame has been wrought with controversy since day one. Exploding onto the scene in 2011 with single 212, Banks was an exciting new face for hip hop. She harnessed the energy of the New York greats like Big L and Melle Mel, while her unique eye for production allowed her to appeal to an audience across the Atlantic. However, it soon became obvious that Banks was not the wunderkind hip hop had dreamed of. A string of unnecessary beefs with the likes of Pharrell, T.I. and Baauer left the artist isolated. Her drive for creative freedom also meant that she was dropped from her label Interscope.
Luckily enough, Banks caught a break when Interscope let her keep all the songs that she had recorded during her time there. Now, fourteen months after its scheduled release date, we have Broke With Expensive Taste. One of the most striking things about Broke With Expensive Taste is that almost half of the tracks on the record have been previously released — even the three-year-old 212 made the cut.
Aside from the so-called “newness” of the album, one can admire the production list for Broke With Expensive Taste. The record includes work from Pearson Sound, Boddika, Machinedrum, AraabMuzik, MJ Cole, Lone and Ariel Pink to name but a few. These collaborations work in Banks’s favour most of the time, but fail miserably on occasion, as is the case with the Ariel Pink produced Nude Beach a Go-Go.
Broke With Expensive Taste is certainly not a bad album. Tracks like Soda and Luxury showcase Banks’ amazing way with words as she dips in and out of Harlem misfit and choirgirl. The merengue inspired Gimme a Chance even shows Banks’ linguistic talents as she sings effortlessly in Spanish. It’s only the occasional blunder that lets Banks down, as is seen with the woeful Heavy Metal & Reflective and the cheesy pop hit Chasing Time. Broke With Expensive Taste is an album plagued with problems, just like Banks — one just hopes that these problems can be fixed on her next record.
