Dirty Gold

Background

In July 2012, Angel Haze released the EP Reservation for free online, which received critical acclaim with an 88/100 score at Metacritic. That year, she participated in the BET Hip Hop Awards' Cypher and appeared on Dizzy Wright's mixtape Free SmokeOut Conversations. On her 2012 mixtape Classick, Haze recorded a cover of Eminem's 2002 song "Cleanin' Out My Closet"; Earbuddy's John Downey wrote that Haze's version might be the superior product.

Release and promotion

In May 2013, Haze debuted the track "No Bueno" at a London performance, and it was released as the first promotional single on June 2, 2013. The album's lead single, "Echelon (It's My Way)", premiered on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show on August 27, 2013, with its music video appearing on Angel Haze's VEVO on October 2, 2013; the song was made available for purchase on October 15, 2013. On December 18, 2013, Haze leaked the entire album on their SoundCloud page following a dispute with their record label, which Haze wrote about in a series of tweets.

The label had told Haze that if they finished recording before summer, the album would be released in 2013; it was originally scheduled for January 2014, then pushed back to March 3, 2014. Hours after the leak, Haze stated on Twitter that after talking with executives, both parties agreed to release Dirty Gold on December 30, 2013 in the United States and the United Kingdom. The album debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number 196. The record company confirmed it was starting work toward a physical release scheduled for early 2014.

On January 9, 2014, "Battle Cry" featuring Sia was serviced to urban contemporary radio in the United Kingdom as the album's second single.

Critical reception

Dirty Gold received mixed reviews from music critics, with a Metacritic score of 66 based on 19 reviews. Rowan Savage of Tiny Mix Tapes gave the album four and a half stars out of five, calling it a statement and an arrival. Spin gave it a five out of ten, stating that Haze's attempt to resist categorization leaves the record unfocused. Kevin Ritchie of Now gave two out of five stars, saying Haze diluted her uniqueness in positioning herself as a top 40 infiltrator.

Alexis Petridis of The Guardian gave four out of five stars, describing it as a flawed but brave and individual debut. Evan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club gave a C, calling it a labored crossover grab. Eric Diep of XXL gave an M, noting that shortcomings overshadow shining moments as Haze struggles between underground rebel and mainstream player. Mike Madden of Consequence of Sound gave a C+, saying the album is sonically inviting but zones in on genres with little specificity.

Did You Know?

• The album sold fewer than 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week.
• It debuted at number 22 on the UK R&B Albums chart.