Angel Haze, Heaven

If you're a fan of bodacious Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea, look out for her sometime collaborator Angel Haze who brings her hell-raising raps to Heaven this March.

The 22-year-old Michigan-born Raykeea Angel Wilson emerged from obscurity in 2013 with a track tackling rape-culture: a version of fellow Detroit-native Eminem’s Cleaning Out My Closet. In a manner both confessional and cathartic, the poet-turned-rapper  wrestles with the horrendous sexual abuse she suffered as a child. Her brutal experience is dealt with methodically, with hard-hitting lyrics delivered in an expert, lightning-speed flow. 

Her debut album Dirty Gold (December '13), is a melting-pot of genres. Angel Haze ’s eclectic style, informed by old school hip-hop, rap and R&B, boasts her talent for lyrical poetry, as she showcases witticisms that are raw and personal. Whilst the majority of her tracks are bouyant, beat-led, rhythmic and electro-tinged, there are softer melodic moments. Haze’s singing voice, although rarely heard, is gentle and sweet: a surprise against her harsh rapping style.

Listen to the album’s title track Dirty Gold , where gentle piano melodies are offset by a thumping beat and muted, percussive rapping: a nostalgic throwback to Lil' Kim, Left-Eye and the 90s heyday of female rap. 

Underneath the glossy production of her songs lurk dark and sombre currents- setting her apart from some of the more vacant female artists in the music industry today. (Minaj, we’re looking at you).