"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. S ...

featuring vocals and sole production from

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

. 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, released on November 7, 2014. In 2011, Banks started working on the album despite not having signed to a record label at that time. A year later, she signe ...

'' (2014). The track debuted on June 29, 2013, as part of the rapper's set at Glastonbury Festival 2013, with New York 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, a subsidiary of the Standard General hedge fund. WQHT's st ...

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 Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

. 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 Reed Lowe (born 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 through pr ...

—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, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most culturally significant figu ...

. 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), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

was just like 'you should just keep it'". In a 2017 interview with XXL Magazine, four years after the song's release, 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 by the stage name Mac Miller, was an American rapper. He began his career in Pittsburgh's local hip hop music, hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of 15. In 2010, he signed ...

and that her record label,

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a 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 ...

, 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 coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

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

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' 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 rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

and

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

, 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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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