OFWGKTA-The OF Tape Vol. 2 ALBUM REVIEW

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (shortened to the convenient but awkward abbreviation OFWGKTA) over the last few years alone have earned themselves a substantial fanbase who adores them with the feverish devotion one would have for their firstborn child. Conversely, they’ve also garnered quite a bit of flak from critics and fans alike who knock them for their lack of street cred, uninspired lyrics on behalf of some members, and lack of perceived quality, and the criticism has indeed been harsh. While Odd Future certainly isn’t the best that hip-hop has to offer in today’s musical landscape, one cannot deny their honesty and passion for what they do. Especially if one lands within the late-teens/early-twenties age bracket that the group’s members also find themselves in, you can’t help but want to support them, be in the room with them recording, and be part of what they’re doing. Odd Future may not feature the best rappers alive by any means, but they’re seriously reminiscent of the guys that some of you probably hung out with in high school, and with that comes the group’s charm. Their realness comes with that as well, not by the collective amount of people that they’ve capped.

Tyler, the Creator-Wolf ALBUM REVIEW

   After the release of Domo 23 as a single, I'll readily admit that my anticipation for Tyler's third and latest album, Wolf, was dampened quite a bit, and that was mainly because of the song's dull subject matter. His breakthrough album Goblin dealed with Tyler's anxiety associated with becoming a famous rapper as he spits his bile to his therapist, Dr. TC. Listening to Tyler's rants could get a little tiring for some, but the character he played on that album was honestly interesting and wholly convincing, at least to me. Even when he was merely addressing negative blog posts, I could feel a little bad for him, and this was especially the case when he talked about missing his brother Earl and his fractured relationship with his mom. Tyler's stratospheric level of pain was and anger was palpable, and that made Goblin compelling listen from start to finish.

Earl Sweatshirt-WHOA TRACK REVIEW

   

   In case you haven't heard or if you're unsure of the matter, Earl Sweatshirt is easily the best lyricist in the California rap collective Odd Future and he has returned to lay down the law for all those new rappers out there, most of whom are much older than him. Shit, the kid's younger than I am at only 19 years old, and his lyrical prowess is way beyond his years. He displays heavy use of multi-sylable rhyme schemes and clever wordplay, as is evident by his absurdly epic verse on the Odd Future song "Oldie", his big return to the group on last year's OF Tape Vol. 2 after spending a year in a reform school of some sort on the island of Samoa. His time away inspired many a fan to chant "FREE EARL!" at concerts and wear Earl t-shirts and sweatshirts (how appropriate) despite Earl having only one body of work to his credit; the mixtape EARL. In short, Earl is free, and he's making it known. So far he's made appearances on other albums by his fellow Odd Future members like MellowHype, Domo Genesis, and singer Frank Ocean, and finally he's going to treat the Steve Harvey-hating masses to his second album Doris this year.

Tyler, The Creator- Domo 23: TRACK REVIEW

   

   Along with the Wu-Tang Clan, Tyler, The Creator, the head member of the California rap collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, was key in my development into a hip-hop fan after seeing my friends posting songs by him obsessively on facebook in 2011 when "Yonkers" dropped. I was pretty late to the party, but I was taken aback by his astute lyricism on songs like the aforementioned "Yonkers" and the disturbing "Tron Cat", and buying the Goblin album introduced me to "Nightmare" and "Window" which also impressed lyrically, at least to me. Not all his songs hit the lyrical mark (the immature "Radicals" and "Her") but overall, the album totally piqued my interest in the Odd Future world and in hip-hop in general. There has been no shortage of Odd Future material since the group broke through with Goblin with full length albums by Domo, Mellowhype and others, but for the last couple of years I've been most eagerly awaiting Tyler's follow-up to Goblin and what it had in store, mainly because of that album's cliffhanger ending.