![Azealia Banks Azealia Banks](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/azealia-banks-broke-with-expensive-taste.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
Azealia Banks’ debut album, Broke With Expensive Taste, is sort of like the Loch Ness Monster of hip-hop: few expected it would show itself in this lifetime. But after years of delays and label disputes and her own trash-talking, it seems the “212” rapper has some news for ye-of-little-faith: the 16-song set is now available for purchase on iTunes.
The move recalls Beyoncé’s surprise release of her self-titled visual album last December, though Banks fans got a bit more of a heads up than Mrs. Carter’s followers, when Banks hinted Tuesday at a “magic trick” on Twitter. And while setting herself up for inevitable Beyoncé comparisons might be a risky move for an artist with just an EP and a mixtape to her name, Banks didn’t have much to lose, either. Despite some promising signs of progress, like “Heavy Metal and Reflective,” the record became more of a joke with each passing day. This way, she’s cutting her losses — Banks finally put her money where her mouth is.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Inside Elon Musk’s War on Washington
- Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer?
- Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
- 11 New Books to Read in February
- How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
- Cecily Strong on Goober the Clown
- Column: The Rise of America’s Broligarchy
- Introducing the 2025 Closers
Write to Nolan Feeney at nolan.feeney@time.com