"ATM Jam" is a song by American rapper

Azealia Banks Azealia Amanda Banks ( ; born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, she began releasing music through Myspace in 2008 before being signed to XL Recordings at age 18. In ...

featuring vocals and sole production from fellow American rapper

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom h ...

. The track was released in 2013, originally serving as the second single from Banks' debut studio album, ''

Broke with Expensive Taste ''Broke with Expensive Taste'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Azealia Banks. In 2011, Banks started working on the album despite not having signed to a record label at that time. A year later, she signed a contract deal with Inters ...

'' (2014). The track debuted on June 29, 2013 as part of the rapper's set at

Glastonbury Festival 2013 The 2013 Glastonbury Festival, Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held from 26 to 30 June 2013. It followed a fallow year, in which there was no festival. Ticket sales On 20 June 2012 it was announced that tickets for the ...

, with

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radio station

Hot 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared service ...

premiering the clean, shortened version of the studio recording three days later on July 2. On 2013, the full studio version of "ATM Jam" was officially released for radio airplay on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

. On November 9, 2013, Azealia tweeted that she would be taking "ATM Jam" off the album and that the song was meant to be a "passing chapter" and not a single.

Background

During an interview with

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

—which was broadcast on July 16, 2013—Banks revealed that "ATM Jam" was originally meant for singer

Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

. Explaining how the track then came to be recorded by herself, Banks commented, "She wanted to rap or something and wanted me to write a song, and I could't come up with anything that I thought would be appropriate for her just because I'm so raunchy, but I wrote the song. I wrote like some verses on it and

Pharrell Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he ...

was just like 'you should just keep it'". Years later in an interview with XXL Magazine, Banks discussed her disappointment with the single and its surrounding release. Banks stated that the track was originally a leftover

sent to late rapper

Mac Miller Malcolm James McCormick (January 19, 1992 – September 7, 2018), known professionally as Mac Miller, was an American rapper and record producer. Miller began his career in Pittsburgh's hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of fifteen. In 2010, h ...

and that her record label,

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

, pushed for the song's release, despite Banks wanting to release "Miss Amor" as the first single from ''

''. Banks also expressed her frustration at collaborator Pharrell and his lack of promotion regarding the single and further stated that after "ATM Jam" was released, "everything fell apart", Consequently, Banks later exited her record deal with Polydor.

Critical reception

"ATM Jam" received mixed reviews from critics. In a positive review of the single, Josiah Hughes of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' complimented Banks' collaboration with Pharrell Williams, stating that the two sounded "remarkably good together." Chris Martins of ''

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'' favorably compared Banks' performance to that of fellow rappers

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accents. ...

and

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

, noting her "crisp delivery and occasional foray into the English accent." In addition, Jordan Sargent of the same publication called "ATM Jam" Banks' "best shot at pop relevancy in the States." In a negative review of the single, ''Fact'' criticized Pharrell's performance, calling the hook "flaccid" and stating that, "overall, no one sounds that excited to be on the track."

Music video

Banks originally announced that the video for "ATM Jam" was shot in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

on July 29, 2013 with director Clarence Fuller. However, the video with Fuller was later scrapped for unknown reasons and re-shot with director Rony Alwin, premiering on October 21, 2013.

Charts

Release history

References

{{authority control 2013 singles Azealia Banks songs Pharrell Williams songs Interscope Records singles Polydor Records singles 2013 songs Song recordings produced by Pharrell Williams Songs written by Pharrell Williams Songs written by Azealia Banks