Words by:
Dan Bull
Follow @DanBull7609
As one of the Sounds Of 2013, Angel Haze was clearly eager for Dirty Gold – her debut album, following EPs, mix tapes and appearances as a featured artist – to be released during her year. So much so, that due to disagreements with her label (who had pushed the release back to March 2014) she leaked the album herself through Soundcloud. Whilst it might not have provided the positions Island Records were hoping for (entering at #196), it’s an act of rebelliousness that serves to emphasise how passionate she is about the music she makes.
With spoken-word segments throughout, Dirty Gold is undeniably a diary; a confession and a release. “My identity is the music,” resonates from the introduction of A Tribe Called Red. While it would be easy to generalise this ‘identity’ as upbeat hip-pop, the subjects covered say otherwise. Following-on from her reworking of Eminem’s Cleaning Out My Closet (with the lyrics altered to document the sexual abuse she suffered as a child), there’s an echo of Mathers’ ability to perform autobiographical tracks against radio-friendly beats, but without the comedy capers that still make you question his authenticity. With internal disputes regarding family, religion, sexuality and fame, you believe the validity of statements like: “My music is where I originate… it’s where I come to life.”
Whereas artists of a similar nature have focussed on lyrical matter and controversy to sell songs (namely Azaelia Banks, not exactly BFF material with Haze following a Twitter spat), these tracks are as impressive musically as well as showing more depth in their subject-matter. From the electro-pop explosion of Sing About Me to the laid back, sliding synths of Deep Sea Diver; hip-hop beats provide the frame for a range of moods, throwing the listener off-course where other rappers ride out the same tempo for four minutes. The trippy White Lilies/White Lies is particularly successful at switching; from bass-heavy loops and angsty vocals to a Bhangra beat, before the record slows down to feature a more mainstream sound.
Collaborations with Sia and One Direction producer Jake Gosling might not scream ‘credible rap artist’, but they do create music that will unashamedly appeal to the masses, or moreso than some of her contemporaries at least. Just as Rudimental (who produced ‘Deluxe Edition’ track Crown) made the UK festivals their own last year, Dirty Gold – particularly the earlier tracks – would sound just as good underneath a rain-soaked marquee as they would at an underground club. Whilst it’s all too easy to assume titles Black Synagogue and Black Dahlia liken themselves to Kanye’s Black Skinhead, they do allude to an artist with visions above and beyond what might be expected; refusing to be ‘designed by a genre’ by switching from sweetly-sung choruses to effortlessly spitting syllables.
As highlighted with lead single Echelon‘s subtitle, this is her way. She works with who she wants; she releases the record when she wants. It’s an album that’s honest in its content and unapologetic in its delivery. After all, this music is her identity.
Dirty Gold is out now; hit the iTunes link below to download:
