S. Samuel
Music newcomer Angel Haze has taken fans a bit closer into her personal life this week after releasing her emotional-driven "Cleanin' Out My Closet" record.
Rhyming over Eminem’s “Cleaning Out My Closet” beat, Haze does not hold back from revealing her inner demons.
The future is bright for Haze, and if she keeps recording tracks like “Cleaning Out My Closet”, everyone will know her name soon enough. Haze dropped a new track via social media which was her rendition of one of Eminem’s trademark songs, “Cleaning Out My Closet “, and just like Slim Shady did 10 years ago, Haze lets her dark feelings bleed on the beat. Haze reminisces about her very difficult childhood where she raps about the multiple rapes she’s endured, her suicidal thoughts that stemmed from them, and her exploration of her own sexuality. This is pretty heavy content from someone so young, but her talent can’t be denied and this could very well her signature song. (The Grio)
She also admits to hurting her own body to decrease the chance of enduring more sexual abuse.
The physical details of the assaults and the way they were discussed in her community are horrific, and the song is powerfully emotionally precise, describing how Haze starved herself to avoid appearing attractive to everyone, and suggesting that she pursued relationships with women rather than men because her terror of male sexual attention was so deep-seated. “It happened so often he was getting particular,” she says of her abuser’s escalation. And I’m hard-pressed to think of a more concise explanation of what it means to come to terms with yourself in the wake of trauma than Haze’s line: “I’m sane, I’m not insane, but not the same as before.” (Think Progress)
Since its release, Haze has stood behind letting her all out on wax.
“This is one of the most honest songs I have ever done in my entire life, and I was extremely nervous to put it out because of that,” she said. “I’m anxious, because I don’t know what the response is going to be. I don’t know how crazy it’s going to sound. I literally bared my soul there. So it’s a giant step for me, and hopefully it helps a lot of people.” (New York Times)
Angel also claimed she released the song to remind other victims they are not alone.
“My ultimate goal was to let go of all of it, the things that kind of haunt me in a way,” she said. “I know it’s important in music to be honest with who you are, because this world is so full of lost kids who go through the same thing I went through, whose end result is ultimately suicide or drugs. And they don’t know they are strong enough to get through it. They don’t have an example. Too many people are afraid to say, ‘This happened to me and look what I did with it.'” (New York Times)
Check out “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” below:
