"I'm a hot and bothered astronaut, crashin' while jackin' off to bufferin' vids of Asher Roth eatin' apple sauce." Earl claims on this album, among with increasingly disturbing other things. Earl doesn't hold back, he's possibly the most explicit member of hip-hop group OFWGKTA, even more explicit than Tyler, The Creator, and some would actually rate this guy as the best.
But what makes him different from Tyler, Hodgy, and the rest of the crew?
His vocal delivery, extremely graphic imagery, the things he talks about are much, much more explicit, he uses more complicated beats, and he sounds the most like a born rapper.
The subjects on this album he covers can be a bit colorful, from talking about killing police, raping women, and even about getting up for school.
Getting up for school?
Just who is Earl Sweatshirt, this extremely graphic, explicit, and talented person?
Tyler, The Creator's 16 year old younger brother.
Earl's music tries to offend, and depending on who you are, it probably will on some level. He follows the same vein of his brother in trying to offend people, while remaining talented and not relying on it.
Looking past the shock factor, Earl is just good. There's a reason why he's so highly regarded. He's just very talented at his age for what he does, and he's a great writer and story teller. He doesn't just say random verses, he practically tells messed up stories of violence.
It isn't just Earl on here, Tyler, The Creator shows up as Wolf Haley, Hodgy Beats makes an appearance, and a non-OFWGKTA member Vince Staples shows up on 'epaR'. All of their appearances are great and only adds fuel to Earl's creative fire, but the best has to be Tyler, The Creator of all the guest appearances, due to him and Earl being brothers, sharing the same sense of humor, and being equally messed up, it's in a messed up way hilarious to hear them go at it, try to gross eachother out, and constantly try to one-up eachother in the shock factor.
The beats here are good and somewhat minimalistic, which works, because it forces Earl to carry along the songs with his voice more and really push himself to the next level to pull it off, but that's not a bad thing, because Earl's flow is surprisingly great.
Also worth noting is that shortly after this album, Earl's mother separated him from Tyler and OFWGKTA in general because she was afraid he'd become a serial killer or a rapist. She sent him to a boarding school in Samoa where he will stay until he's 18, but OFWGKTA and their fans constantly await his arrival, by screaming "Free Earl!" at concerts. When he returns, they'll sell out shows from that alone.
Overall, I have to give this a 7/10. It's too short, just being a bit over 20 minutes, and even then, I'm not the craziest about it like some other people, but I certainly enjoy Earl more than I used to. Who knows, maybe it'll grow on me.
Recommended Track(s): Earl, Kill, epaR
