Recently I have just been enthralled by this new, up-and-coming L.A. hip-hop collective called Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, or OFWGKTA. The members include the leader Tyler, the Creator, youngster Earl Sweatshirt (my favorite), Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis, Mike G, Frank Ocean. Also producers Left Brain, Syd and The Super 3. These crazy guys make absolutely mind blowing hip-hop.
I'll break down some albums I've listened to so far from them:
Earl Sweatshirt - Earl
I'll let my favorite OFWGKTA release kick this off. Earl is the youngest member of the collective and creates some the most raw, brutal, explicit, and plain scary hip-hop I've heard. Earl raps about rape, killing, rape, sex, rape, and rape: "Ask for a couple of bucks/Stick a trumpet up her butt" ("Earl").
Probably my favorite aspect of Earl's music is Left Brain and Tyler, the Creator's production of beats. Probably my favorite next to Madvillainy's and The Low End Theory's/ They're very minimalistic with haunting synths, organic snare and bass beats, blaring horns, and some video game noises. You really just have to hear to understand what I'm trying to explain. Especially listen to "Couch", "Pigions", or "Moonlight".
Earl also has a couple of hilarious skits on it, especially with the mid-mark "Wakeupfaggot": "MOM: Earl. EARL: What? MOM: Wake up. EARL: No, I'm sleeping with my eyes open, that's fucking logical. MOM: Earl wake the fuck up faggot. EARL: WHY DON'T YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP MOM!" ("Wakeupfaggot"). Also the intro that has other members of Odd Future making fun of his appearance when Tyler, the Creator introduces Earl to them and Earl is a mute and then immediately goes off on the second track "Earl".
Wanna know the best part of this whole LP? He was only 16 when he recorded it last year.
Tyler, the Creator - Bastard
Tyler and Earl kind of go hand in hand. They have a knack to really flow in their rapping and their beats are really pumping with a touch of minimalism. Tyler's concept towards his debut, Bastard is he is in a therapist's office telling his life story through rapping. Beginning with the line: "This is what the devil plays before he goes to sleep." ("Bastard"). That bold statement immediately introduces Tyler as a controversial figure in hip-hop, maybe not as much as Earl accounting for he is underage.
The rape story track "VCR/Wheels" has such a vintage feel to it like a VCR, that track might be one of the best examples of how Tyler takes modern, "hip" beats mixed with a melodic, vintage beats that really know how to get you hooked. Earl's presence on this album is just as good as Tyler on Earl's debut.
Tyler also has a knack for rapping phrases that will stick in your head, like all good hip-hop artists, that will arise in my head out of nowhere in the middle of the day. Like right now I just randomly through of on the opening track how he is describing himself and he says, "my ears are big as fuck."
The last thing I wanna talk about is probably the greatest Odd Future out there right now and that the track "Yonkers".
Tyler, the Creator - "Yonkers"
I'm sure at least somebody has heard this track on this site accounting for Odd Future rising popularity thanks to this track.
The first listen of "Yonkers" is bizarre and memorable, especially if you're not used to the Odd Future's aesthetic, but it will immediately grow on you. Starting with a really haunting, bizarre beat with the opening line of "I'm a walking fucking paradox/No I'm not".
His flow is just perfect on this track and just builds my anticipation for his May 10th release of his sophomore LP Goblin.
I actually just downloaded "Bastard" the other day and thought it sucked. His music goes far enough to be distasteful and upsetting but not far enough to be haunting or thought-provoking. It's basically "American Psycho" rewritten by a 17-year-old kid.
It's interesting, because the first time I listened to it I was offended by the stupidity and weird placement of all the rape/dismemberment stuff, but I was willing to concede that the beats were good and Tyler had an interesting voice. On second listen it's almost the opposite opinion: All the shock stuff is just boring as fuck and the beats don't really excite or make a lasting impression. I think the only two songs I liked were "Blow" and the first half of "Sarah", since the latter track really made an effort to take the whole "I rape people lol" schtick to the next level, but then he starts talking about eating her and fucking the corpse and I start rolling my eyes. Like, seriously, THAT'S the scariest thing you can think to do to the female body? Use some imagination, dipshit. Go big or go home.
Anyhow, all that aside, I like "Yonkers" and Domo Genesis seems kind of interesting to me. Frank Ocean's release was also really really good. _________________ I love all music. It makes you feel like living. Silence is death.
I love the whole collective, some great music. i understand some cannot listen to the admittedly vile subject matter, but upon listening to a few interviews with Tyler, it is evident that he isn't this anarchistic evil hoodlum, just a guy telling a story. He actually comes across as a smart guy, although that may be a result of the low expectations I had. Solid music all in all, can't wait for Goblin.
my roommate just showed me Yonkers the other day, had never heard of Odd Future, and I was pretty impressed. I haven't looked into their other stuff but I saw a few interviews with them too and they're pretty hilarious too
Yeah I watched an interview on Youtube the other day with Tyler, he's just what I like to call a DGAFfer (don't give a fuck). He really hates society and doesn't give a crap what's going on. He isn't an annoying activist trying to persuade people into something. He just wants to do what he loves and that is getting attention and make music he loves. He even said he doesn't give a shit if anyone gets his upcoming album and why should he?
I respect him for wanting to be famous, just as long as he isn't controlled by the record company, which is highly unlikely given Tyler and the rest of Odd Future's mentality. Growing up in the internet age, these guys knows how to get around in the music business and will be absolutely huge and controversial, just like Tyler loves it.
They aren't as nihilistic as everyone thinks, plus everyone (including hip-hop blogs) have been incredibly slow on the uptake.
My two cents worth - only Tyler and Earl are genuinely talented rappers, and I preferred 'Bastard' to 'Earl'. I really like Frank Ocean and the two MellowHype releases. I also quite like Domo Genesis' album, not a great rapper, but decent stoner rap in the vein of Wiz Khalifa, and no less deserving of commercial acceptance as far as I'm concerned. Be interesting to see how they now handle the ever-mounting hype though, hope it doesn't sap the genuine fun that's been on display in their work up until this point.
Wow, he does sound young there. He sounds like Earl.
I downloaded Tyler's latest release Goblin.
I've listened to it only once so far, pretty good, it's structured a lot like Bastard, but it's a lot more heavy with haunting beats. Tyler's lyrics are hilarious and weird as ever, hate how there is no Earl featuring on the LP though.
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