Comments on: Azealia Banks 212

Azealia Banks 212

phoque — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 20:29:42 -0800

Azealia Banks (a 20-year-old lyricist from Harlem, NYC) 212 Ft. Lazy Jay (NSFW, explicit lyrics ... implicit too)

Legal issue with Lazy Jay over the sampling of his Float My Boat track is resolved and the video is back. Example of another style Her cover of Interpol - Slow Hands Other links Bio on her website Lyrics with some explanation. A dissection of the song Michelle Myers: In her second and third verses, Banks crafts much of her lyrics out of the "oo" and "uhh" vowel sounds found in native Manhattan's realest area code. What ensues is a relentless stream of assonance: "kool-aid dude," "blue bayou," "doo-rag too, son," "the new one too, huh," "you know you were too once." And like any good drama student, she puts those vowels to work, stretching them, pulling on them, playing in them. Of course, it's all a build up to that delightfully nasty "imma ruin you, cunt" punchline, which Banks delivers as if it were already Impact text on an image macro. Banks' lyrical skill wouldn't matter much if she weren't also positively oozing with personality. Luckily, she spits with the kind of mirthful insolence that I imagine music-crit bros hear in Tyler, the Creator. Except she's way better at rapping. An addendum: Obviously Azealia Banks is not the first or the best rapper to use assonance and internal vowel rhyme this way. I hope my blurb doesn't make it seem like I've never heard rapping before. I'm fully aware that most 'good' (god whatever that means amirite) rappers play with phonemes, both vowel and consonant, in a similar manner. But Azealia's use of assonance struck me for two reasons. First, she sustains a very high level of internal rhyme based on the same few sounds (say "212" and then say "ruin you cunt") for two whole verses. Which is impressive although I'm not interested much in 'impressive' rapping. I own a Twista album. I got it. But all the assonance, especially when combined with Azealia's bitchy flow (the verses are, fundamentally, just a stream of rudely-posed questions), simply makes the rapping fun to listen to regardless of the actual substance of what she's saying. A lot of rappers just don't get this shit. I'm not a hip-hop geek and I know some people will disagree with me on this one, but, in my opinion, you can rap about the dumbest, most useless shit ever as long as you sound hot on the track. The other effect of the the assonant lyrics, is that Azealia ends up holding her mouth in a "oo" position a lot, which, in the snobby drawl she affects sounds more like an "eww." Azealia puts that "eww" sound to work. I know I said that in my original blurb, but I don't really know how else to explain it. It's a concept I learned doing Shakespeare shows—you give respect to the sounds, let them resonant through your body, and they will work for you, they will help you be truthful in your circumstances. The sounds are honest. So Azealia Banks filters the tone of the rapping through the actual sounds she's rapping. Without ever needing to say it or even perform it, she reads as disgusted, bored, and condescending. She raps like a classically trained actor (and about oral sex and talkin shit at that!), and I mean that in a good way.

By: sparkletone

sparkletone — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 20:49:01 -0800

That's Jacques Greene and Lunice that's she's rapping at/dancing with in the 212 video.

By: Catblack

Catblack — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 21:53:07 -0800

Thanks Sparkletone, I thought it was Harry Potter.

By: utsutsu

utsutsu — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 22:11:51 -0800

Hadn't heard of her, and I am really liking this video and some of her related's. Thanks for posting! The track Chill$ in the related links reminds me a lot of Childish Gambino's mixtapes, with the rapping over indie poprock. I love his stuff, so that is a win for me.

By: PinkMoose

PinkMoose — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 23:12:52 -0800

will be on my singles of the year list, i love this profoundly.

By: spiderskull

spiderskull — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 23:47:44 -0800

I love it. Thanks for posting this!

By: alby

alby — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 02:48:15 -0800

Metafilter: delivered as if it were already Impact text on an image macro.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 04:40:12 -0800

What PinkMoose said. Posts like this are why I still hang out here.

By: Poppa Bear

Poppa Bear — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 05:23:36 -0800

What PeterMcDermott said!

By: Jofus

Jofus — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 05:35:08 -0800

That, old son, is a rough tune.

By: fuq

fuq — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 06:41:42 -0800

everyone knoww 347 is hood now. 212 is how my lawyer's number starts.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 08:58:55 -0800

718 reprazent

By: eustatic

eustatic — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 10:09:49 -0800

Enh, this rap stuff, just a fad.

By: valrus

valrus — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:03:42 -0800

I'm a little disappointed at how many people are in here talking about something other than what a fire-ass jam this is

By: sixacross

sixacross — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:39:00 -0800

Man, Jacques Greene is killing it. I can't wait to hear what they come up with together.

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:15:59 -0800

I'm a little disappointed at how many people are in here talking about something other than what a fire-ass jam this is. Threadshitting has always been acceptable on the hip hop threads. Normally followed by 'I like all kinds of music except blah blah blah...'