Earl Sweatshirt shines in debut

Without a doubt, one of the most highly anticipated albums of this year has been Earl Sweatshirt’s debut full-length release, Doris. Nearly four years have passed since a 16-year-old Thebe Kgositsile released his first (and only) mixtape, Earl.

Earl of controversy · Earl Sweatshirt’s skillfully delivered raps follow thematically with Odd Future frontman Tyler, the Creator. – Courtesy of Columbia Records

This was quickly followed by the meteoric rise to prominence and notoriety in hip-hop circles brought about by the seemingly wild and nihilistic rappers that compose the ragtag family that is Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All — Tyler, the Creator at the helm and Earl as the slightly less rambunctious second-in-command.

Their music is gritty — delightfully imperfect, frequently dark and offensive, often hilarious and ultimately an extraordinary display of auteur-esque musicianship.

It was just as the skate mob/hip-hop collective began to find themselves at the center of what seemed to be a shift in youth culture when Sweatshirt, the rapper arguably possessing the most raw talent, inexplicably disappeared from the spotlight.

In early 2011, Complex magazine discovered that Sweatshirt had been sent to a reform school in Samoa for drug and behavioral issues. Odd Future fans were in uproar, followed by the seemingly universal condemnation of and outcry against his mother’s involvement. Sweatshirt, ostensibly overwhelmed, summoned a deep-seated maturity beyond his years and politely asked to be left alone.

Cut to the present day. Sweatshirt has since returned home, signed a deal with Sony under his own imprint of Tan Cressida and distribution through Columbia. The hype surrounding the stick thin, baggy-eyed rapper has reached its pinnacle while fans eagerly awaited a release — and now, Doris. The album, named for his late grandmother, is much like Tyler’s Wolf: far more introspective and self-critical than the Earl tape. Its blunt, brazen honesty is indicative not only of Earl’s deft rapping skills but also his continued growth.

The album’s starts on the wrong foot, as “Pre,” is arguably one of the weakest tracks due to SK LaFlare’s frankly asinine verse. The track features the braggadocious Sweatshirt that fans will recall from his earlier releases. “I’m a problem to n-ggas,” he raps in his first spoken line of the album, “Pop artillery, the carbonates with him / Starving to hit ‘em, spar with a n-gga,” then “Just watch, I’mma kill ‘em all in a minute.” He then spends the rest of the track asserting his premeditated dominance.

The Neptunes-produced second track, “Burgundy,” featuring frequent Odd Future collaborator Vince Staples begins with Staples berating Sweatshirt: “Why you so depressed and sad all the time like a little b-tch? What’s the problem man? N-ggas want to hear you rap. Don’t nobody care about how you feel.” Staples’ prelude comes to an end just as Earl explains, at least partially, the source of his stress-induced state of depression: “Grandma’s passing / But I’m too busy tryna get this f-ckin’ album cracking to see her / So I apologize in advance if anything should happen.”

“Burgundy” particularly sets the stage for the rest of the album’s narrative of “f-cked up” priorities and the constant desire to overcome both the nagging restlessness of his highs and the darkness of his lows.

The wobbly third track, “20 Wave Caps,” is very much reflective of Earl’s Odd Future affiliations. Featuring Domo Genesis, the dark track hearkens back to the anger present on the Earl mixtape, though now manifested in a manner that displays maturity. Earl addresses his contempt for his former friends who now treat him differently due to his enormous celebrity.

In the Frank Ocean-assisted “Sunday,” Earl seemingly apologizes to his neglected significant other, insisting that he’s faithful to her despite his celebrity status. The catchy chorus sees Earl lamenting his dependence on weed to fuel both his creativity and his romantic inclinations. The always astounding Ocean raps about his altercation with Chris Brown, which he hints was due to Brown using homophobic slurs against him.

The next track is the ominous and menacing “Hive,” featuring Vince Staples and Casey Veggies, which paints a dark, smog-smeared picture of life in Los Angeles: “From a city that’s recession-hit / With stress, n-ggas could flex metal with, peddle to rake pennies in,” and “Breaking news: death’s less important when the Lakers lose.” “Hive” is a standout track with decent features, though it seems that only Vince Staples is capable of keeping up with Earl’s vicious flow.

Arguably the most incredible track of the album comes next: the melancholy “Chum” addresses Earl’s return from Samoa, the traumatic childhood event of his father’s departure, and his coping with returning as a famous man to a Los Angeles that’s far from the hometown of his youth. The production, done by Christian Rich and Earl under the alias of RandomBlackDude, paints an intimate backdrop for the highly personal track.

“Sasquatch” and “Centurion” — which feature Tyler, the Creator and Vince Staples, respectively — are certainly going to be favorites for fans of Earl’s first mixtape, as both are almost absurd story-based songs with fascinatingly dark narratives that deviate briefly from the gravity of Earl’s more confessional tracks.

The latter half of the album is filled with surprises. “523” is an interesting musical interlude, followed by the brief 0:53 secondlong though head-bangable “Uncle Al.” Then comes “Guild,” a slow and seemingly marijuana-induced track featuring Mac Miller. The rest of the album features OF members Tyler, the Creator on “Whoa,” Domo Genesis on the final track, “Knight,” an awesome BADBADNOTGOOD collaboration on “Hoarse,” and, astoundingly, RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan on the incredible “Molasses.”

Thematically, Sweatshirt’s debut album is quite similar to Tyler, the Creator’s sophomore release. No longer quite the wild child behind the Earl mixtape, the 19-year-old emcee even stated on his Twitter many months ago that he expected a loss of fans to accompany his newest release. Doris is the supremely gifted Sweatshirt grappling with growing up in Los Angeles, his relationships with family, friends, his weed and cigarette habits, departure, return and reluctant stardom.