Azealia Banks is one of the most polarizing figures in pop culture today. Since her single "212" put her on the map, she has since been receiving more attention for her Internet antics than her music. Her interview and nude spread in Playboy only fueled that controversy. In Billboard's new cover story, however, the 23-year-old shows off more of her domestic, calm side by cooking dinner but still speaks her mind. Here are 10 things we learned...
1. She admitted that she has no plans to be anyone's role model. "I'm not here to be your idol, because I'm probably going to do some f--ed-up shit. I'm probably going to f-- some old-ass white man, and you're going to be like, 'What the f-- is going on?'"
2. She's really into divination and candle spells. "I'm always out in the dirt."
3. She thinks the criticism of her Playboy interview only proves her point about White America. "It's the responses to what I say that prove my point. I was making a joke because American culture is very gluttonous. We're very, like, Big Gulp. You want Cup O' Noodles? Here's 24 in a box. Maybe I shouldn't have said that, but who cares? When you fail, you've got to fail fast."
4. Her relationship with XL, which Diplo orchestrated, lasted less than a year. "XL saw me as this novelty rap chick. They wanted me to make an EP so they could capitalize on the coolness of it, but I wasn't ready. I needed supervision."
5. After losing the deal, she flew home and worked at Starbucks and strip clubs to make ends meet.
6. She is working on a book that will tell "the fable of Azealia Banks."
7. She likes to work on her art during odd hours and her process is a bit different than most. "I drink, I smoke weed, I don't really bathe. I might go off and masturbate and talk to myself in the mirror for hours. It's a sort of psychosis. I work during witching hours, 3 a.m., 4 a.m., when the dead writers, the failed writers and the failed musicians who are dead are roaming around."
8. She fantasies about having sex with President Barack Obama but generally fulfills her desires with the people around her. "He's so fine. Those big-ass white teeth and ears hanging off his head? I'm like, 'Oh my god, I want to f-- the president.' I sleep with my security guards. I love security guards. They're these big meathead bald white guys with blue eyes. And I have had sex with a lot of my female friends. It's a proximity thing. It's why I am going to call my next record Business and Pleasure, because I'm always mixing the two."
9. She wants breast implants. "I'm all ready to get my tits done, I've already paid for them. I'm just afraid of the anesthesia."
10. She hopes one day people will praise her public persona rather than criticize it. "Celebrities are celebrated, and I don't think I'm celebrated," says Banks. "But maybe one day. It would be nice. I just don't want to be forgotten about while I'm still alive."
Read the full interview here, and let us know what you think in the comments section!
