Angel Haze’s ‘Battle Cry’ Is Louder Than Ever

Angel Haze is one of the most prolific rappers around today, unfailingly raw and authentic. Her mixtapes and personalized covers of songs like Macklemore’s “Same Love” and Eminem’s “Cleaning Out My Closet” have catapulted her into the spotlight, where she has been lauded for her courage and lyrical prowess. Her debut album, Dirty Gold, showcases her ability to freestyle, and features songs that reveal many of Haze’s deeply personal experiences.

The rapper, who identifies as pansexual, has always been honest about her experiences growing up in a strictly Pentecostal household with a mother who didn’t understand her sexuality. She has survived familial persecution, sexual abuse, and self-harm, and her presence in the mainstream music industry has created important dialogue surrounding these topics.

Lyrics like, “There was a point in my life where I didn’t like who I was/ so I created other people I would try to be come/ sexuality came into play and with I scarred as I was/ I was extremely scared of men so I started liking girls/ I started starving myself fucked up my bodily health/ 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…” are indicative of the pain and trauma that Haze has endured in her life, but also reveals how strong and independent she is as a woman, and as a musician.

As Cameron Keady explains, “Angel Haze continues to be a symbol of strength and fearlessness. She is unapologetic and true, and she rejects conventional expectations and labels. At just 22 years old, the young lyricist has fought on too many battlefields. She may not have walked away unscathed, but today she stands resolute, with an unwavering optimism for the future.” Keady, like many, predicts a strong future for the artist. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Listen to Angel Haze remix “Same Love” with her own lyrics on Soundcloud.

How Mary Lambert Continues to Steal the Show

As predicted, this year’s MTV Video Music Awards were everything we could have ever hoped for (and some things we didn’t hope for, courtesy of Miley Cyrus’ tongue). There were long-awaited reunions, such as the highly anticipated live performance from ‘NSync, over-the-top fashion choices, racy and jaw-dropping numbers performed by the likes of ahem, Ms. Cyrus, and a whole lot of love for the best music videos of the year.

Everyone predicted that Macklemore and Ryan Lewis would take home the Moon Man for “Best Video with a Social Message” for their song “Same Love,” but few imagined the impact that up-and-coming songbird Mary Lambert would have on the music industry. Lambert is the female cameo part who sings the profoundly touching chorus in “Same Love,” and her performance at the VMAs was truly one of the highlights of the evening. Through exposure from the now famous song, which many consider to be a sort of “LGBT anthem,” Lambert has also become an important gay rights activist and supporter within the music industry.

After “Same Love” was released, the singer produced an extended version of Macklemore’s political pro-gay song called “She Keeps Me Warm.” Lambert’s version is a more in-depth look at a lesbian love story, a sweet glimpse at a relationship beginning to unfold. Her beautiful vocals paired with an important message about love and equality is what will make Lambert’s music career endure and excel far beyond her famous cameo on “Same Love.” The singer has now breached multiple genres while unobtrusively singing about human relationships and the importance of justice for LGBT people whose love is, as everyone participating in and watching the VMAs can agree, the same.

About being gay, and an artist, Lambert says, “I think that when you’re gay and you’re in a gay relationship, it’s inherently political whether you want it to be or not. You’re creating music; you’re writing from your experience; and if your experience is being in the gay community, that’s going to affect the way you write. So whether or not you want to be a gay artist or not, you’re going to be a gay artist. It’s just, whether you want to be an activist or not.” Lambert has definitely become a prominent gay rights activist, and a role model to those her music reaches. The music industry, as well as the LGBT community, is lucky to have her. 

Images: marylambertsing via Instagram

Canadian Teen Produces a Track on Jay-Z’s Newest Album

Magna Carta Holy Grail is famed rapper Jay-Z’s newest record and one of the summer’s most highly anticipated albums. The rapper’s twelfth studio album features a seriously impressive roster of producers and artists who collaborated on many of the tracks. Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, Frank Ocean, Timbaland, Kanye West and many others worked on the album’s production; the amount of talented industry heavyweights that had their hands in the making of Magna Carta Holy Grail is astonishing. Another artist that worked on the album whom you might not be so familiar with is Ebony Oshunrinde, aka WondaGurl.

WondaGurl is a 16-year-old Canadian high school student, who has been credited as a producer on “Crown,” one of the tracks on Jay-Z’s new album. She’s young, but don’t let her age allow you to underestimate her talent. The teen is a self-taught music producer and beatmaker who first started creating her own music when she was only 9 years old. In 2012 she took the prestigious Battle of the Beatmakers title in Toronto, which elevated her status as a powerful producer and artist in the music industry.

photo credit: WondaGurl

According to her bio, “As she completes the 11^th grade, WondaGurl continues to make waves as one of the game’s freshest and most exciting producers. Her age and the fact that she’s female have bent a lot of people’s ears, but her work is what truly impressed people.” The fact that her work is being utilized by one of the most famed rappers in the world is a testament to WondaGurl’s incredible skill set.

WondaGurl is doing big things in the music industry that many high school students would never dream of. Her passion and drive will ensure big things in the future for the teen, and her story is inspirational to other young producers who dream of working with artists like Jay-Z.

For more information about WondaGurl’s track on Magna Carta Holy Grail, visit her website.  

“Yeezus” Might Just Be Kanye West’s Most Dynamic, Genius, and Offensive Album Yet

Kanye West is no stranger to creating controversy and being the focal point of intense public scrutiny. In fact, many would say he relishes it. After months of guerrilla advertising, Internet track leaks, and much anticipation, Yeezus, West’s sixth solo album has arrived, and once again, he’s got the music industry buzzing.

Some critics and fans have been quick to say that this is clearly West’s darkest, most dynamic album yet, while others are suggesting that Yeezus is only the next chapter in the ongoing saga of Kanye West, that it’s more shock value than musical masterpiece. Whatever his intent, West is one of the few contemporary entertainers who has the ability to truly raise a public ruckus. The public is obsessed with Kanye West, waiting with baited breath for the next highly opinionated, controversial thing he’ll say or do next.

According to Ryan Dombal, in a review for Pitchfork, “For Kanye, there's purpose in repulsion. And on Yeezus, he trades out smooth soul and anthemic choruses for jarring electro, acid house, and industrial grind while delivering some of his most lewd and heart-crushing tales yet.” Other critics agree that the trim, 40-minute album is heavy on the electro-industrial sound, with a mash up of jagged layers of sound and warped vocals that tint the record in a demonic hue. It’s content is very much in the style of Mr. West, in that it is provocative, misogynistic, race-centric, and bold.

According to Jody Rosen for Vulture, “Shock, surely, is the point. Kanye wants to get under our skin, to rile and appall,” which he certainly succeeds in with Yeezus. Rosen abhors the album’s sexist, degrading lyrics, but admits, “The knucklehead and the genius go hand-in-hand. For every provocation that falls flat on Yeezus, there are five moments that startle and make you think.” This is something that not many artists today can do. The album is full of shock value, but with Kanye West, there is always something deeper at play.

For an informative, in-depth review of Yeezus, read Ryan Dombal's Official Pitchfork Review, and be sure to listen to tracks from the album to weigh in!