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Azealia Banks-1991 (EP)-Frontal
Released May 28, 2012
Recorded 2011-2012
Length 16:06
Producers Machinedrum
Lazy Jay
Lone
Label Interscope Records
EP Discography
Azealia Banks-1991 (EP)-Frontal

(2012)

Icy Colors Change Cover

(2018)

"1991" is the debut studio EP by Azealia Banks. It was released in the United Kingdom on May 28, 2012, and in the United States the following day.

The EP was not eligible for the UK Albums Chart, but the title track charted at 79 on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached 133 on the US Billboard Hot 200 on the issue dated June 16, 2012, while reaching 12 on the Rap Albums chart, 17 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart and peaked at number one on the Heatseekers Albums chart. Upon its release, 1991 received general acclaim from music critics.

Background[]

Under the moniker 'Miss Bank$', she released her debut recording "Gimme a Chance" onto the internet in February 2009.[1] The recording was accompanied by "Seventeen", a track produced by American DJ Diplo which sampled the Ladytron song of the same name.[1] 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.[2][3]

Following her departure from XL Recordings, Banks left behind the 'Miss Bank$' moniker and formally became Azealia Banks, which preceded a move to Montreal. Using YouTube as a portal, Banks uploaded several demo tracksā€”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 released officially on December 6, 2011 as the lead single from one of Banks's future releases.[4]

Though unsigned at the time, Banks began working with British producer Paul Epworth on a debut studio album. 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 premiĆØre from Annie Mac (BBC Radio 1) on January 4, though the release of the single was cancelled for unconfirmed reasons. January 16, 2012 saw Banks release the track "NEEDSUMLUV (SXLND)" on the Internet, coinciding with what would have been the thirty-third birthday of the late singer Aaliyah, who is sampled on the track. 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. It was then in February that Banks revealed the tentative title of her upcoming debut album, Broke with Expensive Taste.

Originally scheduled for release on April 17, 2012, 1991 was delayed following the musician's change of management on April 13.[5] The EP's artwork and track listing was published online on May 15, with confirmation that 1991 would be released first on May 28 in the United Kingdom.[6] The project was to be released digitally on May 29 and physically on June 12 in the United States, she announced on Twitter.[7] In 2013, 1991 was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), having shipped 35,000 units in Australia.[8]

The original track listing had three tracks: the single "212", "1991" and "Grand Prix". Following the delay, it was extended to a four-track EP, with the tracks "Liquorice" and "Van Vogue" in place of "Grand Prix". Banks confirmed on Twitter that she had re-written "Grand Prix", produced by Lone, and it would feature on her debut studio album Broke With Expensive Taste under the new title of "Miss Camaraderie". To promote the 1991 EP, she performed at Hackney Weekend 2012 and did the Mermaid Ball Tour. At Glastonbury 2013, she performed songs from the EP, her mixtape Fantasea and closed out the festival by performing the lead single "Yung Rapunxel" from her then upcoming album Broke With Expensive Taste.

Critical reception[]

1991 received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, it received an average score of 84, based on nine reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[9] AllMusic editor David Jeffries was amazed by Banks' lyricism and called the EP a "short house-rap blast".[10] He said Banks "acts as if she had been raised at a classic N.Y.C. loft party, one where you kept dancing and dissing", and found the production "nostalgic ... as if this EP fell through the cracks of the Paradise Garage's sweaty disco floorboards and then evolved in some alternative and fierce universe".[10] Chris Dart of Exclaim! was also impressed by her quick rapping and argued that she "manages a feat that takes most rappers the better part of a career to master: the perfect marriage of bangin', club-friendly beats and smart, crisply delivered lyrics."[11] In his consumer guide for MSN Music, Robert Christgau called "212" the highlight of an EP whose music is minimalist yet skillfully crafted: "quick-tongued, lascivious, catchy, and delighted with itself ... there hasn't been a more pleasurable record all year and probably won't beā€”not even by her."[12]

In a less enthusiastic review for Rolling Stone, Will Hermes said the four tracks on 1991 "spin hip-hop backwards and forwards", although he felt it was too short.[13] Alex Macpherson of Fact felt the EP is somewhat inconsistent, but he compared Banks favorably to Missy Elliott and stated, "while the quality of the music remains disproportionate to the hype, it does make her bratty rejection of the rap establishment feel that much more thrilling."[14] Pitchfork journalist Lindsay Zoladz called it "another example of Banks' versatile skills", but lamented how "the half-statement of 1991 reminds us that Banks is still an artist in her development stage."[15]

1991 was ranked by Rolling Stone at number 30 in the magazine's list of 2012's 50 best albums,[16] while Time named it the 9th best album of 2012.[17] In a year-end list for The Barnes & Noble Review, Christgau ranked 1991 as the 11th best album of 2012 and the title track as the year's 13th best single.[18]

Singles[]

  • "212" was released on December 6, 2011 as the first official single from the EP. The track, which samples and credits "Float My Boat" by Lazy Jay, attained chart success in Europe; reaching number seven on the Irish Singles Chart and number twelve on the UK Singles Chart.
  • "Liquorice" was released as the second official single on December 4, 2012.

Track listing[]

Standard Edition
# Title Length
1. "1991" 03:30
2. "Van Vogue" 05:57
3. "212" (ft. Lazy Jay) 03:24
4. "Liquorice" 03:18

References[]

  1. ā†‘ 1.0 1.1 http://www.thefader.com/2009/02/06/freeload-miss-banks-seventeen-gimme-a-chance/
  2. ā†‘ https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/soundof/2012/artists/azealiabanks/
  3. ā†‘ http://thequietus.com/articles/07671-azealia-banks-xl
  4. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20120520001003/http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/212-feat.-lazy-jay-single/id522653580
  5. ā†‘ http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/494114/azealia-banks-delays-1991-ep
  6. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20130605010333/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a381722/azealia-banks-confirms-1991-ep-tracklist-artwork.html
  7. ā†‘ http://www.rap-up.com/2012/05/14/azealia-banks-reveals-cover-art-release-date-for-1991-ep/#more-123756
  8. ā†‘ http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupagesaria-charts-accreditations-singles-2013.htm
  9. ā†‘ https://www.metacritic.com/music/1991
  10. ā†‘ 10.0 10.1 http://www.allmusic.com/album/1991-mw0002379145
  11. ā†‘ https://exclaim.ca/Reviews/HipHop/azealia_banks-1991
  12. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20120630143754/http://social.entertainment.msn.com/music/blogs/expert-witness-blogpost.aspx?post=038996d3-8082-4e6a-a19d-271909021943
  13. ā†‘ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/1991-ep-20120529
  14. ā†‘ http://www.factmag.com/2012/06/20/azealia-banks-1991/
  15. ā†‘ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16775-1991-ep/
  16. ā†‘ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-albums-of-2012-20121205/azealia-banks-1991-19691231
  17. ā†‘ http://entertainment.time.com/2012/12/04/top-10-albums/slide/azealia-banks-1991-ep/
  18. ā†‘ http://www.barnesandnoble.com/review/the-deans-list-2012

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