BROKE WITH EXPENS(EX

Audio Mixer: Rob Kinelski. Recording information: Germano Studios, New York, NY; Glenwood Place Studios, Burbank, CA; Jungle City Studios, New York, NY; Konscious Studios, Santa Monica, CA; Mason Sound, North Hollywood, CA; Metropolis Studios, London; Music Box, London, UK; The Space Pit, Brooklyn, NY; Underdog Studios, North Hollywood, CA. Broke with Expensive Taste, the official debut album from rapper/songwriter Azealia Banks, finally appeared in late 2014, despite originally having been scheduled for a 2012 release and well after several songs showed up as singles many months and sometimes years before an album surfaced. Various delays and major-label red tape ultimately saw Banks walking out on her contract with Polydor/Interscope and independently releasing the album digitally with no press notification or promotional lead-up. This surprise-attack release followed a similar approach as Beyonc?'s late-2013 self-titled album, which simply appeared online in full without notice about a year prior to Broke with Expensive Taste. Finally a reality, the strengths of Banks' debut are incredibly strong. Aforementioned long-available singles like "212," "Chasing Time," and "Yung Rapunxel" showcase aggressive production that winds together dubstep's relentless bass pounding and Banks' talents as a fluid, sometimes vicious MC as well as a serviceable R&B vocalist. Production assistance from underground figures like Lone, AraabMuzik, Ariel Pink, and Lil Internet, among many others, gives the album an incredibly varied feel, visiting styles ranging from icy trap to Latin funk. ~ Fred Thomas