Broke With Expensive Taste
by Azealia Banks
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. The Quietus
    Dec 19, 2014
    90
    Just 16 exceptional tracks full of glowing wordplay, instinctively catchy intonation, and effortless genre whisking.
  2. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Dec 9, 2014
    85
    On her debut album, Azealia Banks has established herself as a brash and crude personality both on and off record, and she’s complemented it with a competent execution of a bold artistic vision.
  3. The Line of Best Fit
    Nov 17, 2014
    85
    There are no 'sound-
  5. Pretty Much Amazing
    Nov 19, 2014
    83
    Her complete dominance over the sonic space of her debut reinforces Broke With Expensive Taste as a product singularly of her vision.
  6. The Wire
    Dec 16, 2014
    80
    Her taste--for beats at least--isn't that expensive, but is certainly sophisticated, perhaps pointedly so. [Jan 2015, p.74]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. NOW Magazine
    Nov 19, 2014
    80
    The 16-song record (some previously released) never feels bloated: the tracks could be love letters by the Harlem native to all the cultures jamming in the Big Apple.
  8. HipHopDX
    Nov 19, 2014
    80
    It’s a kaleidoscope of sounds that feels like a best of instead of a debut. It’s jarringly airy, flitting about and flouting conventions at every turn, and it’s sometimes so steeped in it’s 90s house past that it undermines its own velocity.
  9. The New York Times
    Nov 17, 2014
    80
    Most of all, she understands rhythms--house, trap, soul, techno, Latin--and she slings rhymes and melodies that fully engage them.
  10. Exclaim
    Nov 17, 2014
    80
    Banks has managed to pull off a minor miracle, as Broke With Expensive Taste is an artistic success as well as a strategic one.
  11. Pitchfork
    Nov 11, 2014
    80
    Broke With Expensive Taste glides through all of these, just like the faithful 1 train sampled on "Desperado". Both album and the artist revel in the freedom of a New York City where divisions between these sounds and scenes have ever so slowly ceased to exist.
  12. The Observer (UK)
    Nov 10, 2014
    80
    Banks immerses herself in 90s nostalgia, spitting darkly and sharply over tracks full of elements of UK garage, deep house and trap (an aggressive strain of hip-hop).
  13. Boston Globe
    Nov 7, 2014
    80
    For an album that’s seemingly been in turnaround for so long, Broke sounds very much of the moment.
  14. Spin
    Nov 7, 2014
    80
    Broke With Expensive Taste is a project dripping in confidence, class, bursts of brilliance, and personality.
  15. RapReviews.com
    Dec 17, 2014
    75
    BWET is a fascinating starting point, as she can spit complex rhyme patterns with ease. The hope is that this can progress into something deeper, but as things stand she's still a pleasure to listen to.
  16. Los Angeles Times
    Nov 11, 2014
    75
    Taken as a whole--and heard loudly and with great focus--it confirms Banks' promise, and her great reflexes in collaboration.
  17. Uncut
    Jan 7, 2015
    70
    Broke is an pleasant surprise. [Feb 2015, p.73]
    All this publication's reviews
  18. Rolling Stone
    Nov 19, 2014
    70
    This just might be the year's boldest release.
  19. musicOMH.com
    Nov 14, 2014
    70
    It may well wander all over the place and sound in need of a firm guiding hand at times, but it also contains some genuinely inventive and thrilling pop music.
  20. Clash Music
    Nov 12, 2014
    70
    It’s schizophrenic and really quite silly in places, Broke is never less than entirely entertaining.
  21. PopMatters
    Nov 10, 2014
    70
    As wildly disparate as it is, with songs culled from a three-year career and innumerable influences, Broke With Expensive Taste is a suitable mission statement from an artist hoping to make an impact.
  22. Billboard.com
    Nov 7, 2014
    70
    The missteps are few, but grave: on "Gimme a Chance," she transitions from bouncy rap to full-blown salsa, complete with Spanish singing, while the retro surf-pop of the Ariel Pink-produced "Nude Beach a Go-Go" confounds. And yet, both merely amplify how creatively combative Banks can be--especially when she focuses that energy into her music.
  23. New Musical Express (NME)
    Nov 7, 2014
    70
    The important thing is, the tried-and-tested and the "new" mix fairly well.
  24. The Guardian
    Nov 19, 2014
    60
    While Broke With Expensive Taste’s overarching direction is a thrill, its execution doesn’t always match up.
  25. Drowned In Sound
    Nov 19, 2014
    60
    Broke has instances of stunningly original songwriting and there's rarely a dull moment, but it's more a kaleidoscopic 'story so far' than a complete manifesto.
  26. XXL
    Nov 12, 2014
    60
    The LP is fun and a return to what hip-hop started out as in the parks--a way to rock the crowd and have a good time.
  27. Slant Magazine
    Nov 10, 2014
    60
    "212" along with an upgraded version of Fantasea's "Luxury" are among the best songs here, but their inclusion is distracting, representing more unpursued directions for an artist who needs to be looking toward the future, not cramming in old material on an already overstuffed album, one which feels more like a drastically updated portfolio than a proper debut.

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Most Discussed Album of 2014
29
#29 Most Shared Album of 2014

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 542 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 473 out of 542
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 542
  3. Negative: 55 out of 542
  1. lukeryrle
    Nov 7, 2014
    10
    Broke With Expensive Taste, despite all of the delays, false starts and label issues, has been worth the wait WITHOUT A DOUBT. Her aim was toBroke With Expensive Taste, despite all of the delays, false starts and label issues, has been worth the wait WITHOUT A DOUBT. Her aim was to cover the genres "as told by Azealia Banks", and if salsa (rapping AND singing in Spanish too) and a rock song with Ariel Pink isn't enough, then I personally pity your music taste. This is an innovative record and Azealia has to be respected for being an artist who writes, directs and constructs every song to an unparalleled standard. Azealia Banks is an incredible artist, why she isn't a superstar yet is beyond me, but regardless of fame, the album is faultless. Not one song in my ears is a disappointment. I am glad to be a fan of you, Azealia. Thank you.… Full Review »
  2. thaleslucas
    Nov 7, 2014
    10
    The best and criative album of the year! Of course!

    I waited 2 years until she finally release this album. It is really amazing and I    The best and criative album of the year! Of course!

    I waited 2 years until she finally release this album. It is really amazing and I cannot explain how I'm feeling. It is just the best album of Rap of this Decade. ♥

    Favorite tracks: all.    … Full Review »
  3. brookexcandy
    Nov 7, 2014
    10
    Wow, this album is amazing. That's my favorite album from 2014. It really, really worth the wait. 1991 is a great EP but Broke With ExpensiveWow, this album is amazing. That's my favorite album from 2014. It really, really worth the wait. 1991 is a great EP but Broke With Expensive Taste is a big album with perfect songs. So proud. ♥… Full Review »
See all user reviews »