It definitely seems like more than three years since the Odd Future (Wolf Gang Kill Them All) collective stormed, or better yet triumphed, the scene. Now after what seems like eons of waiting, Earl Sweatshirt released his debut LP Doris. Earl’s first EP EARL received rave reviews and spread like wildfire throughout the blogosphere. By the time everyone had begun asking about this 16 year old master wordsmith, he seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth. Check after the jump for more.
Earl Sweatshirt – Chum
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/Earl%20Sweatshirt/Chum.mp3]
Earl was surprisingly absent from Odd Future’s first round of shows and festivals. Tyler, the Creator refused to address why his “little brother” Earl hadn’t made any appearances; instead he started a vague “Free Earl” campaign leaving him as an enigmatic myth. Complex Magazine eventually revealed that Earl had been sent to a Samoan retreat for at-risk boys. After returning from Samoa, Earl released his first track from Doris, ‘Chum’ an introspective song that had him baring his soul and telling the story of his struggles in Samoa to coming home. For those that were worried that Earl had lost the edginess that had made him and the OF collective notorious, he responded with ‘Whoa Ft. Tyler, the Creator,’ proving he in fact hadn’t gone soft.
Earl Sweatshirt – Whoa (Feat. Tyler, the Creator)
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/Earl%20Sweatshirt/01%20Whoa%20%28feat.%20Tyler%2c%20The%20Creator%29.mp3]
Throughout the album Earl seems to ask listeners to get lost in his lyrics and the droning, atmospheric textures that make up the album. Producers on the album include Neptunes, Flying Lotus, Tyler, the Creator, Christian Rich and Earl himself, under the pseudonym randomblackdude to keep things from ever getting boring. The album is also littered with guests featuring other Odd Future members including Domo Genesis, Casey Veggies, Frank Ocean, Vince Staples; and others like RZA and Mac Miller. What Doris is lacking in terms of a cohesive narrative is made up for in sheer assortment. It’s definitely a good call for Earl to reject any clear and defined concept of how or what he should be in the hip hop community. At 19, Earl doesn’t really seem to understand who or what he is. However it’s not the destination, it’s the journey; and we’re all just lucky to be in the passenger seat listening to him figure it out.
Earl Sweatshirt – Hive (Feat. Vince Staples an Casey Veggies)
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/Earl%20Sweatshirt/05%20Hive%20%28ft.%20Vince%20Staples%20and%20Casey%20Veggies%29.mp3]
Earl Sweatshirt – Sunday (Feat. Frank Ocean)
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/Earl%20Sweatshirt/04%20Sunday%20%28ft.%20Frank%20Ocean%29.mp3]
