Angel Haze is a two-spirit, agender, and pansexual African American rapper with (self-reported) Cherokee & Blackfoot Native American ancestry who uses they/them pronouns.
Angel’s dad was killed by a gunshot wound before they were born so they were raised by their mom. When they were a young child, their mom met a preacher of the Greater Apostolic Faith and the two moved into his home with his wife and children, into what Angel describes as a cult. Growing up in the church, they witnessed domestic violence and manipulation at a very young age and was sexually abused by a man close to the family. Angel also recalls being told that they would die spontaneously if they did not behave correctly. In an interview with The Guardian, Haze stated: "We all lived in the same community, within 10 minutes of each other. You weren't allowed to talk to anyone outside of that, you weren't allowed to wear jewelry, listen to music, to eat certain things, to date people … you weren't allowed to do pretty much anything."
After a pastor threatened Angel’s mom, by telling them God was going to kill them, their family left the church and moved to Brooklyn, New York when Angel was 15. They lived in fear for years afterward and moved frequently, mainly due to their mom running away from the church. At one point the family was living in a shelter and Angel was teased at school for it. They were also mocked for their clothes, not being black enough, not being Native American enough, and they had difficulties making friends in general due to moving around a lot.
They began writing as a form of therapy & expressed an interest in creative writing, poetry, and journalism. Their first poem was published at the age of 13 after winning a school competition. As a child, Angel took creative writing lessons and wanted to be a songwriter or gospel artist. Eventually, they began making YouTube videos and freestyle rap at the age of 18.
Angel often raps about themes such as homophobia, rape culture, and racism. They use their personal experiences to condemn a culture that breeds the self-harm of queer youth. They have also been open about their experience with addiction, PTSD, depression, and anorexia in their music, online, and in interviews. They see their goal as an artist to reach out to people who are similar to them or going through difficult experiences. “Everybody here is created for a reason. Mine happens to be to make the music and inspire the people who are stuck in dark places.”
