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Originally Posted by louder
how y'all gon overlook Earl like that though? dude is barely 21 and already has one of the best discographies out of every newcomer in the game.
each one of his projects was different and unique. EARL was a crazy display of technical rapping. he described Doris as his Chronic 2001 / Twisted Fantasy, which makes a lot sense to me. I Don't Like Shit is far from accessible, it requires more than one listen, but now i'm totally in love with the concept and the overall sound of this project, i respect him for the fact he produced the entire thing besides one track.
the proper successor to Doris will come out sooner or later, i'm sure. Earl hasn't even made his best statement yet.
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I don't actually dislike Earl, but we've been over this- I'm sick of his schtik. I'm tired of his pompous, "oh wise one, Earl! Speaker of truth, slicer of bullshit! Knower of all things authentic and inauthentic! Oh Earl, wisest 21-year-old alive, how great thou art!"
Do any of you guys remember what YOU were like at 21? I thought I was a pretty no-nonsense son of a bitch too. I thought I was pretty adult. I was a full time know-it-all, playing in 3 bands, on editorial staff for two college publications. I fancied myself to be quite the little muckity muck, both artistically and academically.
And guess what? I was a gods-damned narcissistic fuckwad. And I did my fare share of growing up fast. A lot of us were probably in that boat. I had a tough home life, and I was pretty world-weary by the time I graduated from high school. But I was still FULL OF SHIT, and I see too much of that in Mr. Sweatshirt.
Is he talented? Gods yes. Some of his lyric are downright chilling. He has a poetic approach to writing rhymes, and I think he's genuinely trying to push himself. I respect his work behind the boards (not many young rappers with that much hype give a fuck about learning the rest of the process, because most of them are mascots for a label or A&R group looking to turn their artists into brand extensions. I think Earl is ahead of many of his peers in this regard, and I think he takes his music seriously.
But so much of his music and so much of his public persona is based on this "shouting the poetic truths of high-school journal keepers" mentality. In that Pitchfork interview that recently popped up, he talked about how his mother was "not about to call him up and start yelling"....
Why? Cause y'all are equals? You're fucking 21 years old! If your mother trusts you to behave like an adult, she's in denial! If you think you deserve to be treated like an adult (or trusted completely to make mature and healthy decisions) then you're goddamn deluded! No 21 year old male in the history of he universe had ever been truly mature.
So don't mistake my criticisms for hating... I LOVE Doris. Earl is very clearly an absurdly talented young man, but in the age of "emerging adulthood" theories on growth and development, when something like 40% of college grads are returning home for 12-36 months, and the only crises facing the youth is one of identity and and misplaced feelings of priviledge, I can't completely take a 21 year old who thinks so highly of himself seriously.
His records pack a punch, though. It's the person (and the attitude) that I have a problem with. The absolute refusal to write outside the comfort zone of bleak teenage angst rap.
I thought you were kinda on board with me on this one louder.
And I only say I (might) prefer Cherry Bomb because it's more musically adventurous. Earl's always been the better rapper, and I appreciate that he keeps his "faggots" and other pointless shock-lines to a slightly more tolerable minimum than Tyler does.
But ... Shit... I've been 21. I know how important the feelings of a 21 year old feel. I've also been 31, looking back at 21, thinking (a)"aw Jesus what the fuck was I smoking," and (b) how did I justify that kind of masturbatory ego-stroking conviction that I was somehow an adult?!"
(Answer:
(a) Lots and lots of things
(b) By playing adult.
His music is just something I wish he'd toy with a bit more. Have fun. The average rapper's career lasts-- what-- 10 years tops before they become cliches, charicarures of their old selves? I just want Earl to actually explore the real parameters of his ability.
He'd be an excellent pro-LGBT force in rap, for example. Coming from a crew that includes Frank Ocean or not, he's an open minded and intelligent YOUNG black male who could have a positive influence on a lot of people if he just pulled his head out of the one-eyed Jack-o-lantern called his spoiled prep school ass.
Just sayin