Earl by Earl Sweatshirt

Self-proclaimed hip-hop heads love to complain about how rappers “don’t talk about anything nowadays” or how they have no substance. To which I would ask—what the hell does that even mean? Everyone is obviously talking about something; whether or not you relate to or find appeal in the content is another story altogether. Earl Sweatshirt of the mainly-rap collective, Odd Future, has been widely hailed by critics for his debut album Earl. Perhaps it’s his witty delivery and his effortless flow that make hip-hop critics suddenly not realize that under the criteria of “real hip-hop”, Earl doesn’t really talk about anything. There’s nothing political, or conscious, or significantly deep about Earl. Sweatshirt brags about how skillful and underestimated he is, he jokes about controversial topics such as rape (particularly in “epaR”), and raps about some chick who didn’t like him back. Odd Future’s leading man, Tyler the Creator (who has a few appearances on Earl) has had a lot to say, in interviews and in songs, about how inconsequential this idea of “real hip-hop” is to him. Similar to Earl, Odd Future as a collective has garnered respect and adoration by a lot of hip-hop heads who compare them to the legendary Wu-Tang Clan (who, by the way, typically talked about how skillful they were and how bad they were going to hurt their opponent—is the Wu-Tang Clan not “real hip-hop” either?). So forget this idea of what is and isn’t real hip-hop and just listen to the music, the worst that can happen is that you won’t enjoy it.

            However, I truly enjoy Earl, which is packed with charisma and showcases Earl Sweatshirt’s signature melodic flow and lyrical ability. Keep in mind that this album dropped when Earl was only 16, and much of it was written even earlier than that. Also, keep in mind that, like Tyler the Creator and many other members of Odd Future, Earl is intentionally and obnoxiously weird and controversial. On the album, Earl calls himself the “reincarnation of ’98 Eminem”—which is pretty accurate.  So if you’re completely against blasphemy or jokes about homophobia and rape (which is a totally legitimate reason to avoid an artist, by the way), don’t waste your time with Earl.

            What you can expect from Earl Sweatshirt on his debut album is lyrical ability, good beat selection (mostly produced by Tyler the Creator), and a rebellious immaturity that makes listening to him a lot of fun. There are only 10 tracks on the album, and 2 of those are just skits; but that’s not bad for an album that was released as a free digital download. The skits do a good job of introducing Earl, from his relationship to the rest of Odd Future to his relationship with his mother (who sent him away to Samoa shortly after the release of Earl due to his bad behavior). There really aren’t any songs that feel out of place or are not any good, but the real standout tracks from Earl are “Earl”, “Couch” ft. Tyler the Creator, and “Luper”. “Earl” is standout mostly for just the show of lyrical ability and “Couch” for the dynamic between Earl and Tyler that makes it a fun song. “Luper” is the closest Earl gets to being deep. It’s a song about a girl that he really likes but she doesn’t like him back. It’s still not an entirely serious song, but it does feel like it was truly from the heart. The song “epaR” features a beat from Left Brain and it’s pretty memorable, but highly offensive and violent. That’s definitely the one to skip if you don’t take joking about murder and rape lightly. “Moonlight” is one of my personal favorites but it’s mellower and not particularly memorable, in comparison to some of the others. He has another song featuring Tyler, “Pigions”, which is also good but not as good as “Couch”. The album ends with “Stapleton” which was produced by BeatBoy and serves as a nice closer to a short, but sweet album.

            Earl Sweatshirt, along with Tyler and some other members of Odd Future, have a style that you either love or hate. You can’t deny his lyrical ability and marvel at how good he was at such a young age, but you may just hate what he raps about. Or if you’re like me, maybe you like their rebellious nature, and the fact that they don’t take themselves seriously. Hip-hop needs to have a little bit of everything. There’s nothing wrong with just listening to something because the beat is nice, the rapper’s flow is impeccable, and the song is fun. It’s not teaching you anything but it’s also not corrupting your brain either—it’s just a good time.