Hip-hop wild child Azealia Banks blows up a condom on controversial magazine cover that's been banned in seven countries
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Known for her outspoken lyrics and her Twitter wars, Azealia Banks is fast proving to be the most talked about female rapper and singer to emerge from Harlem.
And now the bisexual rapper is causing more controversy off the stage thanks to a scandalous Dazed & Confused cover which has been banned in no less than seven countries.
In the picture, which has already set Twitter aflutter, Banks can be seen inflating a raspberry coloured condom and is over the headline 'Azealia Banks blows up'.
The issue is not available on sale in Singapore, Dubai, Malta, Switzerland, India or Thailand because it is deemed too risqué.
Controversial: Azealia Banks covers the September issue of Dazed & Confused
But putting the front cover of the magazine's September issue to one side, the 212 performer stuns in the shoot as she wears her blue extensions that fall at her knees, and opens up about her violent upbringing at the hands of her mother.
Showing off her inner mermaid qualities, the 21-year-old is captivating as she stands in a blue and white football jersey with a sleeveless leather jacket.
With her eyes fixated on the camera lens, she tilts her head upwards as her blue locks with tints of purple cascade down her shoulders.
In her candid interview with the magazine, Azealia didn't shy away from talking about anything, in particular her childhood.
Admitting that her family were not strapped for cash she said: 'We grew up in the hood, but we had some money. But I moved out when I was 14 to go live with my older sister, because my mom just had, well... issues.'
At the age of two, the rapper's father died following a battle with pancreatic cancer and this is when she revealed that problems with her mother got worse.
Stunning: Singer and rapper Azealia Banks stuns in shoot for the September issue of Dazed and Confused as she opens up about her troubled childhood with her violent mother
'After my dad died, my mom became really abusive – physically and verbally.
'Like she would hit me and my sisters with baseball bats, bang our heads up against walls, and she would always tell me I was ugly.'
Recalling one particular incident, she continued: 'I remember once she threw out all the food in the fridge, just so we wouldn’t have anything to eat.
'It was like growing up a feral child, being raised by this person who was always yelling and screaming, hitting you and dragging you around and s***.'
Easing off the subject a little, Banks added: 'Granted, she never had any drug or drinking problems – her house was clean, her hair was always done, and we had stuff – but she still f***ed me up real bad.'
In another shot which was taken by fashion photographer Sharif Hamza and styled by Karen Langley, Azealia holds her two fingers to her lips showing off her impressive nail art.
The multi-coloured haired beauty is simply enchanting as she wears bold shades of gold and blue eyeshadow around her eyes whilst donning large gold disc earrings.
Paying homage to some of great in the music industry, the backdrop of the shot is complete with a montage of stars such as Missy Elliott, Destiny's Child, Foxy Brown and late singer Aaliyah.
The much-touted star, whose celebrity fan base includes Kanye West and Gwyneth Paltrow, recently admitted she was bisexual when she spoke out about her sexuality in an interview in the New York Times.
Enchanting: The 21-year-old singer and rapper shows off her nail art as she gazes into the camera lens
And talking to Dazed & Confused she revealed that she has been very sexual from a young age.
She said: 'Growing up I was so curious about boys. I just loved them.
'I’d always get my recesses taken away for letting boys touch my butt in the lunch line I got in trouble for fooling around in school a lot.
'I just wanted to be touched, ya know? I just wanted to have sex.
'And my mom was always working so there was never anyone around to tell me no.'
According to the Evening Standard Azealia's daring cover has been banned in Singapore, Dubai, Malta, Switzerland, India and Thailand.
Speaking to the newspaper, the editor of the alternative fashion Bible, Rod Stanley said he knew the cover would make headlines.
'Azealia liked it, and we thought it would be fun and suited her because she’s a strong, provocative character.
'I knew this cover would be talked about, but didn’t expect a confident, young woman posing with an inflated condom to cause this much fuss.
He continued: 'It’s funny that in a world where extreme images are so accessible, someone posing with something that is used for safe sex is what we get worked up about.'
The September issue of Dazed & Confused is out now
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2189047/Azealia-Banks-controversial-magazine-cover-thats-banned-seven-countries.html#ixzz23jzCxyZE
