As she continues to impress with the inner workings of her mind (see her “New York” video below), Angel Haze rises from the underground to a world where aspiring female rappers are classified as copies of Nicki Minaj. However, according to Haze, that prenotion doesn’t faze her.
“Nicki doesn’t compare with me,” she told the Juice. “I don’t compare with her. She’s just doing her own thing. I’m doing my own thing.” And indeed she is.
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In a matter of a year’s time, Haze’s celebrity has risen to a new height beyond her 19,000 Twitter followers. Since dropping her free LP, “Reservation” in late July, it has garnered over 35,000 views on DatPiff. According to the Michigan-born rapper, the album was about making “original music,” pay homage to her Native American heritage, and reserve her place in hip-hop’s bistro.
“It’s like when you go to a restaurant, you make a reservation,” she said. “You know that when you get there, your table is going to be ready because at the end of the day, you called ahead and made sure it was yours. So for me, it’s like that with the rap industry. I made my reservation there. I put my place there and now I’m finally arriving. They just have to sit next to me and watch me eat.”
Possessing a hefty amount of talent and icy wit, Angel Haze has already dined in the company of singer/songwriter Mike Posner and dreams of doing the same with Childish Gambino. Recently, fellow femcee Azealia Banks has been bold enough to cop a squat. The duo plans to head into the studio sometime soon.
“It’s in the works,” Angel said of the collaboration. “We have to find a recording schedule that is flexible for both of us. When I work with people, I like to be in the same room with them, the same space. It’s easier than just sending emails back and forth. We have to find a pocket that works for both of us.”
With a possible collaboration with one of music’s rising artists, how could the music industry not serve offers to her table? On Friday (August 10), Angel Haze announced, via Twitter, she signed with Universal Republic in United States and Island Records in the United Kingdom.
“It feels good to have this solid kind of foundation, a place I know where I can be for a while. I hope for a while,” she said of the deal. “Universal has the best machine for me. Their statistics, numbers, success rate, I wanted that for myself so that’s what we based our choice off of. ”
Angel Haze has been working on her debut album even before signing on the dotted line. As she and manager Le’Roy Benros lay the groundwork on the production of the debut album, which she says is “pretty much done,” the rapper shared she recently collaborated with producer Paul Epworth, the British quartet Rudimental and EDM DJ/producer Bassnectar. There are also plenty of “strictly confidential” features in the works. “It’s going to be kind of eclectic, but still a surprise to people,” she said.