Maybe those early Odd Future recordings represented a kind of test, weeding out listeners who were too easily perturbed, too narrow-minded, or too impatient to listen closely. These new songs are meant to be experienced privately—enjoyed, at best; endured, at worst—with plenty of time to read lyrics from which clarity might never emerge.
His early success was a harbinger of industry trends: the young Earl Sweatshirt would not be out of place in the current rap landscape, which is increasingly dominated by brash young men who have developed huge fan bases online and thrashed their way onto a mainstream stage. Tekashi 6ix9ine first gained attention with a pugnacious and gritty New York street-rap sound, along with his rainbow-colored hair and his dozens of tattoos of the number Last month, he landed in federal prison on charges of gang activity and racketeering.
He has pleaded not guilty. The cartoonishly puerile Lil Pump and the Texas outlaw Tay-K have faced drug problems and serious prison time, respectively.
Tay-K has denied the charges against him. XXXTentacion and Lil Peep, two artists who used their considerable songwriting chops to fuse hip-hop swagger and emo-rock melodies, both died recently. The contrast between the new wave of talent and Earl Sweatshirt, once a figurehead of a youth rap movement, is stark.
And, in retrospect, it makes the panic surrounding Odd Future feel nonsensical. The history books of the future, if such things still exist then, will surely portray as a moment of major change in popular music, particularly in rap.
Now, on Some Rap Songs , the year-old has become the OG to a vanguard of younger artists who are blurring the lines between avant-garde jazz and hip-hop. With these imperfections, Earl and company tap into the same sort of illegible, yet undeniable, feeling jazz musicians capture in slurred notes. The cross-influence between Earl and his cohorts is evident in his vocals too.
This is symbiosis, not thievery. If the fact that Earl is a product of his circle of friends is the explicit story being told here, the implicit one is that he is a product of his parents. The section contains some of the most original and hilarious figurative language I have ever seen. Most of the comments compare the beat to some obscure reference.
There is a wealth of material within that range, however, from continuations of internet jokes e. The accordion caption contest became an arms race.
To this day, almost a year after the video was released, people still comment multiple times per hour. With only a few words, they can communicate niche yet universal themes — entire stories even. It is its own prize. Each member offers a story, which is then judged by the masses. The area has a quiet, suburban feel, with Little Ethiopia nearby, and a Jewish Community Center just around the corner. But the diverse community is rapidly gentrifying.
He grew up nearby and moved back to reconnect with his sense of home. Perched on a stool in his living room, he rolls the first of two spliffs on a large wooden table. Framed paintings by black artists depicting images of black people lean against the walls. A stray Akai drum machine sits on the sofa, and under the table is W. There are two stacks of books and magazines on the table, including a copy of Thrasher and Segregation Story , a collection of photo essays by civil rights photojournalist Gordon Parks examining racism in the American South.
As he offers thoughts and ideas on topics ranging from rap goof troupe YBN collective to the Man Booker Prize winning author Paul Beatty, his voracious hunger for both learning and sharing becomes clear. He wants to find the right balance between being bookish and being active. His quest for self, he explains, involves his music, brain, and body.
As a child of writers, he is starting to come to terms with the idea he was groomed for this life. Thebe jokingly calls his childhood oppressive—growing up, his mom would make him write essays to explain why he should get anything he wanted.
His ongoing education on black history and white supremacy had a clear impact on Some Rap Songs , which he calls an album explicitly geared toward black listeners.
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