Earl Sweatshirt
Some Rap Songs
[Tan Cressida/ Columbia]
Incredibly, at the age of 24 Earl Sweatshirt is already a rap veteran. The man, born Thebe Neruda Kgositsile to a law professor and influential South African poet and activist Keorapetse Kgositsile, has been rapping since the 8th grade and has grown throughout the last decade – from early moniker Sly Tendencies turned Odd Future wunderkind into introverted conscious rap prodigy. It’s been a remarkable evolution that has resulted in some modern rap classics over the past five years with versatile 2013 studio debut Doris and the brooding I Don’t Like Shit… in 2015.
Earl returns on Some Rap Songs, leaning deeper into the experimentation of IDLS on an album populated by raw chopped samples and avant-garde beats with a series of visceral rhymes to match. His father’s recent passing and their unresolved relationship set the tone for an album even darker than its predecessor as Sweatshirt’s frantic mental state is conveyed through his stream of consciousness flow, which pours out with a sense of cathartic release over the relentless, rapid production.
All of this combines for an unprecedented departure from modern hip-hop and an intense attack on the senses that will leave a long lingering impression in listeners minds. It’s an uncomfortably vivid portrait of the artist, but a vital and unique work with a hypnotic power that will draw you back for progressively rewarding rewinds.
Words: Andrew Lambert
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