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QuoteIt wasn?t supposed to go like this for the ostracized Harlem rapper Azealia Banks. After ?212,? her 2011 viral hit that still sounds like it came from the future, Ms. Banks was strapped to the industry rocket ship ? a major-label record deal, magazine covers, a Pharrell collaboration ? only to self-destruct. With her strong will and studiously uncouth opinions (including a trollish Trump endorsement), she became better known as a social-media loose cannon than a musician.

But Ms. Banks has recently shown signs of creative life, including on the defiant ?Slay-Z? mixtape (2016) and dance singles that indicate she may yet thrive outside of the system. A rare hometown show on Wednesday, Aug. 23, at the Highline Ballroom puts Ms. Banks on her own turf as she seeks to refind her footing. (highlineballroom.com)