Azealia Banks

Azealia Amanda Banks (/əˈziːliə/ born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and actress. Raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, Banks pursued an interest in musical theatre at a young age, studying at the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts before dropping out to focus on her musical career. In late 2008, she adopted the pseudonym "Miss Bank$", and began releasing music through MySpace, eventually being signed to XL Recordings at age 17.

After signing a recording contract with Interscope and Polydor Records, Banks came to prominence by topping NME's Cool List in 2011 and finishing third in the BBC's Sound of 2012. Her debut single "212", first extended play 1991 (2012), and first mixtape Fantasea (2012) received critical acclaim. Banks' debut studio album Broke with Expensive Taste (2014) experienced several delays since its initial announcement before being unexpectedly released to online music stores. She will make her acting debut as star of the musical drama film Coco, directed by RZA.

Yung Rapunxel

"Yung Rapunxel" (stylized as #YUNGRAPUNXEL) is a song recorded by American singer/rapper Azealia Banks for her debut studio album titled Broke with Expensive Taste. Interscope Records released the song as the album's first single to mainstream radio on April 16, 2013. The track contains an interpolation of the song "No More Drama" by R&B singer Mary J. Blige. "Yung Rapunxel" was favourably reviewed by music critics, with many of them complimenting Banks' departure of style. On March 11, 2013, the song was made available for online streaming via SoundCloud. The song was performed by Banks during the Glastonbury Festival in June 2013.

Background and release

"Yung Rapunxel" was originally set to be released on March 26, 2013. However, on March 28, 2013, it was announced that the single would drop on April 16, 2013. The first single from Broke With Expensive Taste was initially planned to be "Miss Amor/Miss Camaraderie". Nevertheless, on January 28, 2013, Banks acknowledged that the first single was going to be "Yung Rapunxel". The original release date, which was the February 12, was delayed to March, and then again, delayed to April 16, 2013. For unknown reasons, it is now unavailable on iTunes UK. On March 9, the artwork for the single was released via Banks' Twitter account.