Twenty-year-old rapper Angel Haze tends to draw blood wherever she targets: she is as relentlessly raw when dissecting her own heart and brain as she is when verbally dismembering her enemies. On Reservation – the title of which nods to her native-American heritage – she fulfils the promise displayed on mixtapes such as 2011's Altered Ego. Her craft – lyrics, hooks and storytelling – has been tightened up without losing any of her intense intimacy. Entire worlds are at stake when Haze raps, whether she's penning dreamy love letters of cosmic scope to current and former girlfriends (Hot Like Fire, Gypsy Letters), piecing together her fractured life experiences (the emotionally draining closer, Smiles N Hearts), or rattling off scornful contempt over clattering beats (New York, Werkin' Girls). A childhood cult survivor, Haze peppers her lyrics with startling religious imagery – "I'm Satan, and Imma take your ass to church now," she drawls with relish; later, she muses that "this world isn't real, just a set I designed". The concept of realness underpins hip-hop; the fearless, whipsmart talent of Angel Haze brings you face-to-face with the resonant reality of it.
Find Angel Haze at whenitraeens.com
