She can croon like a classically trained vocalist and she can spit nasty, airtight lyrics without taking a breath. Azealia Banks has arrived and the fiery 19-year-old is turning heads with her risqué debut single, 212.

Raised in Harlem by her mom after her father died, Banks showed flare for musical theater, acting, and singing at a young age. After attending the prestigious La Guardia High School for the Performing Arts, she dropped out to pursue her recording career.

Lately, the Harlemite's lyrics have been booming through nightclubs around the world. Called "the future of music" by Kanye West on New Year's Eve, Banks is one of the only five people West follows on Twitter.

As "Miss Bank$," the lyricist released her first recordings, Gimme A Chance and Seventeen (produced by DJ Diplo) in 2009. She signed briefly with XL Records but decided to leave after "they started checking out." She released another single, L8R in 2010.

Banks remains unsigned but has hinted at a possible signing to West's G.O.O.D. label. Although the comparisons to Nicki Minaj (who went to the same high school) have started, Banks is resisting: "She's only had one album, and she's only been famous for a year, so she doesn't have that big of a legacy for me to be the new her. She's her and I'm me."