Azealia Banks

The Harlem Mermaid can easily be viewed as the love child of Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott, but she's in a world of her own with a tailspin vigor; HD color presentation; kooky outfits; which are all topped off with sometimes waist-length wavy hair in either black or royal purple. Her claim to fame has been entirely Internet-based, and following her previous uploads to YouTube for songs like "L8R", it was "212" (named after the famed Manhattan area code) with its sudden raunchy bridge and bouncy dance-pop instrumental that became viral hit, making Banks a rising star to watch in both music and fashion circles. A former student of the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, she left school at 16 to pursue a career in entertainment as a singer and rapper. Her original stage name was Miss Bank$, but she's since referred back to her birth name of Azealia and has collaborated with Lana Del Rey, Diplo, Styles P, and M.I.A., while earning the praises of hip-hop vets like Nas, Eve, and Kanye West. Her major label debut it set to be titled, Broke with Expensive Taste.