Banks says that Interscope chief Jimmy Iovine had played an instrumental role in convincing her to sign with the label in 2012. In retrospect, she sees his departure from the label as a turning point. “It’s really fucked up,” she says. “Once he left, that’s when it really got bad. I’d see him around and he’d be like, ‘What’s going on with your new album?’ And I’d just be embarrassed to say.”
Interscope let Banks out of her contract this July, setting the stage for her to release Broke With Expensive Taste through Kwatinetz. The album has won enthusiastic reviews from critics and fans, and Banks is fiercely proud of her work – even if in some ways it represents a past self she’s left behind. “I’m just sad for you that it took this long for you to hear it,” she says. “This was popping to me when I was 21. A lot of the old songs are a very little girl’s way of thinking: ‘Yeah, my pussy, mmmm, da da da, I’ma get you with sex.’ Now that I’m 23, my lyrical content is a little more mature.”
This maturation should be evident on her next project, a sequel to her 2012 Fantasea mixtape: “Of course, it’s going to be another mermaid-themed thing, but I’m wanting to take it to the next level. I feel like the first one was kind of just like surface. We’re in our boats, but now we’re going under.”
A lot has changed since Banks caught her first break, but she still loves the song that made her a star – and she says she never thought twice about including it on her album. “When I listen to ‘212,’ I feel like a witch,” she says. “I feel like my wings are going to break out of my shirt. It has such a dark feeling, maybe because I wrote it when I was so angry. It’s almost like Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter.'” Banks flashes a wicked grin. “Every time I hear ‘212,’ it riles me up. I’m ready to fight; I’m ready to fuck; I’m ready to run; I’m ready to drink. Let’s go.”