Thebe Kgositsile, who goes by the stage name Earl Sweatshirt, is 25-years old and one of the most talented lyricists in rap. Getting his early public start in the rap collective Odd Future back in 2009, Earl quickly made a name for himself, releasing a number of critically and commercially successful solo projects. These dark, dense, lo-fi hip hop albums (released over the course of just six years), Earl, Doris, and I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside: An Album by Earl Sweatshirt, solidified Earl Sweatshirt as an aggressively consistent, innovative, and clever artist.
The latest in this string of works is his November 2018 release of Some Rap Songs. This sample-heavy, slouching, mumbling masterpiece of an album contains some of Earl’s most compelling work yet. The songs are deeply layered, shrugging their way through a short run-time of only 24 minutes, yet still somehow constructing a full album worth of content. Dense with images and seamless transitions in sound, Earl creates a world of emotional recovery that is labored and imperfect. Abstract yet inviting, Some Rap Songs is a spectacular companion to the rest of Earl’s brooding discography.
Earl Sweatshirt will be performing at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland on March 26th at 8 PM for his FIRE IT UP! tour. Bbymutha and Na-Kel Smith will be opening, with doors at 7 PM.
