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Broke with Expensive Taste

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Broke with Expensive Taste is the debut studio album by American recording artist Azealia Banks. In 2011, Banks started working on the album despite not having signed to a record label at that time. A year later, she signed a contract deal with Interscope and Polydor Records to work on the album. However, she felt dissatisfied with the labels' representatives and consequently, she ended the contract with the labels in July 2014 and signed to Prospect Park. After being delayed for a long time, Broke with Expensive Taste was released on November 6, 2014 by Banks herself and Prospect Park without any prior announcements.

Broke with Expensive Taste was described as a house rap record which features elements from a wide range of genres, including punk, trance, trap, R&B and UK garage. The album received positive reviews from music critics, who praised Banks' musical diversity and opined that the album was "worth the wait." The record was preceded by three singles: "Yung Rapunxel", "Heavy Metal and Reflective", and "Chasing Time". Another song titled "ATM Jam" was scheduled to be included on the album; nonetheless, it was cancelled due to negative fan reception.

Background

In 2011, it was reported that Banks was working on a studio album with British producer Paul Epworth despite not having signed to a particular record label at that time.[1] In January 2012, Banks signed a record deal with Interscope and Polydor Records to work on her album, and a month later, she announced the title of the album—Broke with Expensive Taste.[2] Approximately a year later, she handed a complete album in to the labels. Banks initially thought that the album would receive favorable reception from the labels; however, the representatives told Banks that she had not recorded a "hit" single for the album. She consequently recorded a song called "Chasing Time" for the project, yet the label denied the track and forced Banks to choose "Soda" as the lead single, which made Banks become incredulous. Ultimately, Banks ended the record deal with Interscope/Polydor in July 2014.[3] She later approached Jeff Kwatinetz and signed a contract with his company, Prospect Park.[4] She reveals her dissatisfaction to Rolling Stone,

I just spent a whole 'nother fuckin' four months in the studio trying to come up with some shit, and you want to go with fuckin' 'Soda'? I really just lost it. That was the day you saw me on Twitter, like, 'The fuck? I'm tired of talking to these white guys about my shit.' It felt like they were playing some sort of head game. And you know I love conspiracy theories. I was like, 'They're trying to brainwash me! Fuck these guys!'[3]

Music and lyrics

In regard to the album's sound, Banks has stated that she was aiming for something "just as stylish and authentic as anything that I do."[5] She added that she did not want to do anything "young [or] mainstream" and described the album as "anti-pop."[6] Steven J. Horowitz from Billboard characterized Broke with Expensive Taste as a house rap record with touchstones from R&B, UK garage and drum and bass.[7] Mark Guiducci of Vogue noted the elements of trance and trap,[4] while The Observer's Suzie McCracken described the record as "an aggressive strain of hip hop" blending with UK garage, deep house and trap.[8] Writing for The New York Times, Jon Pareles also detailed the fusion of Caribbean beats, punk and surf rock.[9]

The album opens with “Idle Delilah,” the song is a glitchy mid-tempo track that contains "tropical, thuggish and quirky" sounds and was compared to the work of Lauryn Hill due to Banks use of both rapping and singing, which were noted for being rugged and velvety.[10] “Gimme a Chance,” contains feather-light synths and contains and ’80s-style sample, bold brass instruments and haphazard DJ scratches, during the middle of the song its production changes and takes influence from a bachata groove, in which Banks sings in Spanish.[10]

“Ice Princess” is an uptempo song that juxtaposes a dance sample of Morgan Page‘s 2011 song “In The Air”, "Ice Princess" contains a heavy trap drum pattern and bass drops and features Banks rapping intricate wordplay.[10] "Yung Rapunxel" is a hip-house and witch-hop song, that see's Banks rapping over a manic '90s HI-NRG-influenced track, which is cut in between muffled hollers.[11]

“Heavy Metal and Reflective” is built over an aggressive production, with clanging synths and wobbling bass.[10]

"Chasing Time" is ’90s inspired song with house synths, that see's Banks rapping, and singing, this is followed by “Luxury”— a trance-influenced uptempo song that was featured on Banks Fantasea mixtape (2012).[10]

Release and promotion

In July 2013, Banks announced that the record would be released in the following fall; however, this was delayed to January, and again to March 2014.[12] Ultimately, the album was released by Banks and her then-label Prospect Park on November 6, 2014, without any prior announcements.[13] In December 2013, Banks announced the first four tour dates in support of the album. The tour was set to begin in March 2014 in Glasgow, Scotland.[14] However, in early March 2014, weeks before the tour dates, Banks rescheduled the tour dates and cancelled some as the album's release was delayed.[15]

"Yung Rapunxel"
The hip house and industrial song "Yung Rapunxel" was the first single from the album[16][17]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

In January 2013, Banks announced that the album's lead single would be a track titled "Miss Amor", which would be accompanied by a B-side titled "Miss Camaraderie".[18] Nonetheless, the plan was cancelled and later that month, she confirmed that "Yung Rapunxel" would be the official lead single from Broke with Expensive Taste.[19] The track was made available for streaming via SoundCloud in March 2013,[20] and was released for digital sales a month later.[21] "Yung Rapunxel" peaked at number 25 and 152 on the Australian Urban Singles Chart and UK Singles Chart, respectively.[22]

On May 6, 2013, Banks announced that she would release "ATM Jam" featuring Pharrell as the second single from Broke with Expensive Taste would be "ATM Jam" (stylized as "#ATMJAM"), featuring Pharrell.[23] It was released on July 11, 2013.[24] However, due to a negative fan feedback, she later announced that "ATM Jam" would be removed from the album.[25] The second official single from Broke with Expensive Taste is "Heavy Metal and Reflective", which was released for digital sales on July 28, 2014.[26] Meanwhile, "Chasing Time" served as the third single from the project, with its being released on September 22, 2014.[27]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Billboard[7]
Robert ChristgauA[28]
Clash7/10[29]
The Guardian[16]
Los Angeles Times[30]
NME7/10[31]
The Observer[8]
Pitchfork Media8/10[32]
Rolling Stone[33]
Slant Magazine[34]

Broke with Expensive Taste received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78, based on 25 reviews.[35] Rolling Stone magazine's Suzy Exposito hailed it as possibly "the year's boldest release",[33] while Matthew Horton of NME called the album "a cascading flood of madcap imagination. Was it worth the wait? Just about."[31] Suzie McCracken of The Observer believed it is "a contender for album of the year" and praised the music's eclecticism: "Banks immerses herself in 90s nostalgia, spitting darkly and sharply over tracks full of elements of UK garage, deep house and trap (an aggressive strain of hip-hop)."[8] Brennan Carley from Spin felt Banks displays a "burst of personality" and wrote that the album is "dripping in confidence, class, bursts of brilliance, and personality."[36] Robert Christgau said that almost each song is a gratifying listen because of Banks, who boasts rather than reveal anything vulnerable, but showcases a lucid rap delivery, full-bodied singing, and an attractive voice: "And unlike her male counterparts she doesn't equate sex with power—there's verbal as well as vocal evidence that she feels it elsewhere than her genitalia."[28]

In a less enthusiastic review for Clash, Mike Diver felt the album is as much enjoyable as it is "schizophrenic and really quite silly in places".[29] Nolan Feeney of Time qualified his praise of Banks' ability to make the lines in her raps sound melodious: "She lines up syllables like a firing squad, repeating the same sounds and hums and clicks with a sing-song-y cadence. When she's in the zone, it's vaguely hypnotic. The downside is that it's also a limited tool set — her flows sometimes sound too much like her other verses. Get deep into one Azealia Banks song, and you'll often hear a line or two that remind you of another."[37]

Accolades

Publication/Critic List Rank Ref.
James Reed from The Boston Globe 2014 Best Album Picks 10 [38]
Cosmopolitan 20 Best Albums of 2014 3 [39]
musicOMH Top 100 Albums of 2014 98 [40]
Jon Pareles from The New York Times Favorite Albums of 2014 3 [9]
Pitchfork Media The 50 Best Albums of 2014 25 [41]
Complex Best Albums 2014 15 [42]
PopMatters The 80 Best Albums of 2014 11 [43]
Spin The 50 Best Albums of 2014 38 [44]
Time Top 10 Best Albums of 2014 10 [45]

Commercial performance

Broke with Expensive Taste debuted at number sixty-two on the UK Albums Chart for the week ending November 15, 2014, with 1,751 copies sold.[46] The album debuted at number thirty on the Billboard 200, selling 11,165 copies in four days.[47] In its second week of sales, the album dropped to number 105 on the chart, selling 4,096 copies, bringing the total album sales to 15,261 copies.[48]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Idle Delilah"Azealia Banks, David Kennedy, Kevin James, Harvey Mason, Jr.Pearson Sound4:32
2."Gimme a Chance"Banks, James, Mason, Jr, Enon, Oskar CartayaEnon, Oskar Cartaya3:54
3."Desperado"Banks, James, Mason, Jr, M. J. ColeM. J. Cole3:57
4."JFK" (featuring Theophilus London)Banks, London, James, Alexander GreenBoddika5:00
5."212" (featuring Lazy Jay)Banks, Jef MartensLazy Jay3:25
6."Wallace"Banks, JamesYung Skeeter3:51
7."Heavy Metal and Reflective"Banks, James Strife, Julian WodsworthLil Internet2:37
8."BBD"Banks, James, Jonathan HarrisApple Juice Kid, Sup Doodle3:18
9."Ice Princess"Banks, James, HarrisAraabMuzik3:43
10."Yung Rapunxel"Banks, James, Premro Smith, Chadron MooreLil Internet4:00
11."Soda"Banks, SCNTST, Jack FullerSCNTST3:43
12."Chasing Time"Banks, Harris, Warren 'Oak' Felder, Ronnie Colson, Steve Mostyn, Andrew 'Pop' Wansel, Kelly SheehanPop Wansel3:30
13."Luxury"Banks, Travis StewartMachinedrum2:48
14."Nude Beach A-Go-Go"Banks, Mason, Jr., Ariel RosenbergAriel Pink2:20
15."Miss Amor"Banks, James, FullerLone4:28
16."Miss Camaraderie"Banks, Fuller, CutlerLone5:09
Total length:60:19

Charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[50] 49
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)[51] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[52] 197
Irish Albums (IRMA)[53] 79
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[54] 15
UK Albums (OCC)[55] 62
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[56] 5
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[57] 6
US Billboard 200[58] 30
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[59] 2
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[60] 3
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[61] 2

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Canada November 6, 2014 Digital download
[62]
United States [63]
Australia November 7, 2014 [64]
New Zealand [65]
Belgium November 8, 2014 [66]
Luxembourg [67]
Netherlands [68]
Portugal [69]
Spain [70]
Sweden [71]
Switzerland [72]
Germany November 10, 2014 [73]
United Kingdom [74]
Canada January 6, 2015 Compact disc (CD) Universal Music [75]

References

  1. ^ Cragg, Michael (December 19, 2011). "New music: Azealia Banks – Liquorice". The Guardian. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  2. ^ Ahmed, Insanul (February 14, 2012). "Who Is Azealia Banks?". Complex. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Vozick-Levinson, Simon (November 25, 2014). "Azealia Banks' Long, Twisted Road to 'Broke with Expensive Taste'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Guiducci, Mark (November 19, 2014). "An Interview with Azealia Banks". Vogue. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  5. ^ "Azealia Banks Discusses '212' and Love for Beyonce". YouTube. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Azealia Banks to Drop 2 Albums in 2013 (And Quit Rap?)". YouTube. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  7. ^ a b Horowitz, Steven (November 7, 2014). "Album Review: Azealia Banks Surprises on 'Broke With Expensive Taste'". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c McCracken, Suzie (November 9, 2014). "Azealia Banks: Broke With Expensive Taste review – Azealia delivers… at long last". The Observer. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  9. ^ a b Pareles, Jon (December 11, 2014). "Jon Pareles's Favorite Albums and Songs of 2014". The New York Times. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  10. ^ a b c d e Gracie, Bianca (November 7, 2014). "Azealia Banks' 'Broke With Expensive Taste': Album Review". Idolator. Retrieved November 7, 2014. {{cite web}}: templatestyles stripmarker in |work= at position 1 (help)
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  23. ^ Diep, Eric (May 7, 2013). "Azealia Banks Announces "ATM JAM" Single Featuring Pharrell". XXL. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  24. ^ "New Music: Azealia Banks f/ Pharrell – '#ATMJAM'". Rap-Up. July 11, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  25. ^ Kennedy, Gerrick (November 12, 2013). "Azealia Banks blames Pharrell for 'ATM Jam' performance". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
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  27. ^ "Chasing Time (2014) | Azealia Banks". United Kingdom: 7digital. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
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  29. ^ a b Diver, Mike (November 12, 2014). "Azealia Banks – Broke With Expensive Taste". Clash. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  30. ^ Roberts, Randall (2014). "Review: Azealia Banks' 'Broke With Expensive Taste' worth the wait". Los Angeles Times. No. November 11. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  31. ^ a b Horton, Matthew (November 7, 2014). "Azealia Banks – 'Broke With Expensive Taste'". NME. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
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  33. ^ a b Exposito, Suzy (December 4, 2014). "Azealia Banks's New Album: Broke With Expensive Taste". Rolling Stone (1223). Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  34. ^ Cataldo, Jesse (November 10, 2014). "Azealia Banks: Broke with Expensive Taste | Album Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
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  37. ^ Feeney, Nolan (November 7, 2014). "Azealia Banks Starts a New Chapter on Broke With Expensive Taste". TIME. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  38. ^ Reed, James (December 13, 2014). "James Reed's 2014 best album picks". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  39. ^ Thompson, Eliza (December 3, 2014). "Cosmo's 20 Best Albums of 2014". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
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  48. ^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.31473/title.hip-hop-album-sales-big-k-r-i-t-t-i-chris-brown
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