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Year 212 (CCXII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Asper and Camilius (or, less frequently, year 965 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 212 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Events[link]

By place[link]

Roman Empire[link]

• The edict of emperor Caracalla (Constitutio Antoniniana) extends Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of the Roman Empire with the exception of a limited group that may include Egyptians. The Jewish people are among those who receive citizenship.
• Roman jurist Aemilius Papinianus, one of the famous jurists who flourished during the reign of the late emperor Septimius Severus, refuse to write a legal defence of the murder of Caracalla's brother, Publius Septimius Geta. He is beheaded in Rome, in Caracalla's presence.
• Caracalla quietens the objections of the Roman army to Geta's murder by huge donations.
• Construction begins on the Baths of Caracalla in Rome.
• Edessa becomes a Roman province.

Births[link]

Deaths[link]

• Liang Xing, general of the Han Dynasty
• Ma Teng, father of Ma Chao, Prefect of Liang Province, China (b. 156)
• Ma Xiu, Second son of Ma Teng
• Ma Tie, Third son of Ma Teng
• Serenus Sammonicus, poet and physician
• Papinianus, Roman jurist and Praetorian prefect under Septimius Severus (b. 142)
• Xun Yu, advisor to Cao Cao (b. 163)
• Yang Huai

References[link]

Azealia Banks
Banks performing at the NME Awards at the Brixton Academy in London in February 2012
Background information
Also known as	Miss Bank$
Born	May 31, 1991 (age 21)
Origin	Harlem, New York, United States
Genres	Hip hop, house, hip house, dirty rap, electronic
Occupations	Rapper, singer, lyricist
Years active	2009–present
Labels	XL (2009) Interscope (US) (2012–present) Polydor (UK) (2012–present)
Associated acts	Major Lazer Scissor Sisters
Website	azealiabanks.com

Azealia Amanda Banks (born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer and lyricist from Harlem, New York signed to Interscope/Polydor, and formerly known under the pseudonym Miss Bank$. Banks rose in notability in 2011 when she topped NME's "Cool List" for the year. On December 5, 2011, the BBC announced that Banks had been nominated for the Sound of 2012, where she ultimately finished third.^[1] Her debut single, "212" featuring Lazy Jay, was released on December 6, 2011, charting in some European countries.

Biography[link]

1991–2009: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Banks was born in 1991. Her mother raised her and two older sisters in Harlem, after their father died when she was two years old. At a young age she became interested in musical theater, acting, and singing. Aged ten, she began performing in off-Broadway musicals with the Tada! Youth Theater in Lower Manhattan. She had lead roles in three productions (Rabbit Sense, Sleepover, and Heroes) in addition to performing as a soloist. Banks was trained in the performing arts at the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan. At the age of sixteen, Banks starred in a production of the comedy-noir musical City of Angels. She never finished high school, instead choosing to follow her dream of becoming a recording artist.

Under the moniker 'Miss Bank$', she released her debut recording "Gimme A Chance" onto the internet in February 2009.^[2] The recording was accompanied by "Seventeen", a track produced by American DJ Diplo which sampled the Ladytron song of the same name.^[2] Later that year, Banks signed to record label XL Records and began working with producer Richard Russell; leaving the label later that year due to conflicting ideas.^[1][3]

[edit] 2010–present: Breakthrough and Broke with Expensive Taste

Following her departure from XL Recordings, Banks left behind the 'Miss Bank$' moniker and formally became Azealia Banks, which preceded a move to Montreal; where she began recording music alone. Using Youtube as a portal, Banks uploaded several demo tracks - including "L8R" and a cover of "Slow Hands" by Interpol. In September 2011, Banks released her debut single "212" as a free digital download from her website, which was subsequently officially released on December 6, 2011. The track has received critical acclaim, having been selected as BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw's 'Record of the Week' and placed as #9 on Pitchfork's 'Top 100 Tracks of 2011' and received their Best New Music designation.

Though unsigned at the time, Banks began working with British producer Paul Epworth (of Adele, 21 fame) on a debut studio album. Four tracks from the album are slated as future releases for her February 2012 Two Door Cinema Club tour. It was announced in December 2011 that Banks would feature on "Shady Love", a track from American band Scissor Sisters' fourth studio album, though the feature would remain uncredited. An accompanying music video was released in January 2012 following its radio première from Annie Mac (BBC Radio 1) on January 4,^[4] though the release of the single was cancelled for unconfirmed reasons. It was announced in January 2012 that Banks had begun filming a music video for second single, "Liquorice" in Paris, France - and that Lady Gaga stylist Nicola Formichetti would be joining her as the video's director.^[5]

On January 16, 2012, Banks released the track "NEEDSUMLUV (SXLND)" on the Internet, which coincided with what would have been the thirty-third birthday of the late singer Aaliyah, who is sampled on the track.^[6] "NEEDSUMLUV (SXLND)" was produced by Machinedrum. A week later saw the emergence of a second track entitled "Bambi", which having been produced by Paul Epworth, had been selected as the soundtrack for a Mugler fashion show in Paris.^[7] It was then in February that Banks revealed the title of her upcoming debut album, Broke with Expensive Taste.^[8]

Banks' upcoming release schedule was confirmed via Twitter in May 2012. It included the 1991 extended play, set for a release later that month and Fantastic, a mixtape set for release in the Summer.^[9] Preceeding the release of Fantastic was the track 'Jumanji', which was released online on May 11.^[10]

Artistry[link]

Influences[link]

Banks cites songs by Destiny's Child and Aaliyah as early inspirations. During her teenage years, she listened to Interpol, Bloc Party and Futureheads, and describes Eve, Remy Ma, Lil Kim, M.I.A., Santigold as some of the female artists that have inspired her.^[11][12] She has praised the style of Jay-Z.^[12]

Personal life[link]

Banks publicly confirmed her bisexuality in February 2012 while stating "I'm not trying to be, like, the bisexual, lesbian rapper. I don't live on other people's terms".^[13]

Discography[link]

Extended plays[link]

Mixtapes[link]

Singles[link]

Guest appearances[link]

Music videos[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Tours[link]

• ShockWaves NME Awards Tour^[24] (supporting) (February 2012)
• Azealia Banks Tour^[25] (headlining) (September–October 2012)

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Azealia Banks's channel on YouTube