101. Angel Haze

I grew up on hip-hop and I like to pretend that if I really, really practiced and honed my skills, I would be able to win a rap battle. The only gripe that I have with hip-hop, both mainstream and underground, is the constant sexualization of Black women and the derogatory language that persists in a lot of the songs. This doesn't turn me away from the genre, it forces me to recognize that problematic behaviors can be expressed through media that I enjoy. Catch a glimpse of a hip-hop video featuring a woman and there is a 90% probability that the woman (oftentimes women) are half naked and in sexual positions. It is through the sexualization of Black females that I will stan a Black female rapper regardless of whether her rhymes are worth my time. Think of Nicki's verse in Kanye's 'Monster...now imagine a female rapper that is able to replicate lyrics on par with that verse in most of her songs. You will get Angel Haze. Below are some of my favorite songs that I hope will serve as a decent introduction to a great female rapper.

(On a related tangent, a friend recently asked me about my opinions of the Grammy's & whether certain artists were deserving of the awards they received. I could write about how certain artists who have capitalized on their anti-hip hop lyrics won awards which should have been given to more substantial artists, but I'll just leave you with this link.)

Angel Haze, in all of her glory, is a shining beacon of light at the end of the tunnel. Here is a list of my favorite songs from Angel:


Angel Haze covers Beyonce's Drunk in Love. No caption needed.

[TW: RAPE] This was one of the first songs of Angel's that I listened to and I think about her experiences a lot. She was this young girl with dreams and aspirations, but her self-worth and self-love and trust were ripped from her. "I didn't want to be attractive to nobody else I didn't want the appeal wanted to stop my own growth But there's a fucking reason behind every scar that I show I never got to be a kid so that's as far as I grow"

”At age 13 my mother knew I wasn’t straight, she didn’t understand but she had so much to say, she sat me on the couch looked me straight in my face and said you’ll burn in hell or probably die of AIDS.” A superior version of Wacklemore's single about being gay because he could draw???

You can listen to Iggy A's 'Work' or you could listen to this. At what point in my life will I be able to rap like Angel? I'm still waiting for a rapper that won't refer for women as bitches though. 'Werkin' Girls' fulfill my love of rap and trap music. I'm still waiting for a female version of Chief Keef's 'I Don't Like' ft. Nicki, Angel, and me...