S. Samuel
Detroit emcee Angel Haze recently discussed her influences outside of hip-hop and why she is motivated to get categorized as much more than your average rapper.
In Haze’s perspective, she views herself more of a rock star than “rapper” these days.
She now lives in Lower Manhattan–“Brooklyn became too hipstery for me,” she says–and these days, is frequently mentioned in the same breath as another brash, young female rapper, Nicki Minaj. But for Haze, making music is less about following in anyone’s footsteps as much as it is about remaining unyieldingly true to her own experience. “I don’t think anyone–regardless of how cocky they are–is ever prepared for this,” she says of her sudden ascent. Although Haze makes hip-hop music, she says she would prefer to be a rock star, citing the greater latitude that classification embodies. “There are so many criteria you have to meet if you say you want to be a rapper,” she says. “With rock stars, it’s about how crazy they are. They get to do whatever they want.” (Interview Magazine)
Despite a perceived aggressive image, Angel recently apologized for resorting to diss records earlier this month due to a public dispute with fellow musician Azealia Banks.
“I really do apologize for all of the stuff that has happened recently,” Banks said in a video, “’cause like, I don’t like the fact that I was a bully in a certain way and I don’t like the way that I came off — I came off as a bully. I came off as a bully. Okay, whatever, anyway, thank-you and I love you and I thank you for supporting me and I’ll see you guys when I come out.” (YouTube)
Although the sparring only lasted a few days, reports of sparked retail interest in Haze’s music surfaced immediately afterward.
Angel Haze also posted an overall gain for her available songs and “New York” EP; however, the combined sales for all her titles was below 1,000 units for the week. Last week, Banks and Haze exchanged insults on Twitter before lobbing hastily prepared diss tracks at one another. On Friday night, Banks then called the openly gay celebrity blogger Hilton a “f—ot,” a comment which has since received heavy criticism. Banks’ debut album, “Broke with Expensive Taste,” is due out in early 2013. (Billboard)
She gave fans an up-close peek into her personal life with last year’s release of “Cleanin’ Out My Closet.”
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)
