While Solange Knowles and rap duo Die Antwoord may have made splashy front row appearances at Fashion Week, the name on almost every insider's lips was Azealia Banks, the rap star of the instant who catapulted to success on her raunchy hit, "212."
So imagine the delight of the fashion masses when Banks tweeted on Monday that she'd be attending the red carpet-to-end-all-red carpets: the Met Gala, on the arm of wunderkind designer Alexander Wang. Fashionista first spotted the news, as well as a subsequent tweet revealing she was actually performing: "I've Been invited to Perform for PRADA next week in NYC! Gonna b so lush !! Let’s see what new songs I debut there! #metball2012"
The performers at the Met's annual Costume Institue fete often tap into the cultural zeitgeist -- previous performers have included Florence and the Machine and Lady Gaga -- so Banks would be a great fit, but by Tuesday, the New York Post reported that the star was actually the event's fall-back choice. According to the Post's sources, the organizers had originally asked Nicki Minaj, who never signed a contract and then backed out. (Considering the fashion industry's affection for Minaj, she also seems a likely candidate for the night's performance.)
Thus far, Vogue has not commented on any of the reports, and Banks' tweets have since been deleted, so it's unlikely that anything will be official until the actual party next week.
