The Ass in Assassin: Earl Sweatshirt

Tyler, The Creator dropped an album (Bastard) when he was 18 on Christmas Day of 2009. It was... out there to say the least. Released for free download on the Odd Future website, Tyler sells his album by saying, 

"Tyler Creator ( or Ace) Releases This Full Length Self Produced Album, Mostly About His Father, Rape, Box Logos And Jesus. Also Featuring Unicorns And Transexuals. Click The Title To Download." (or just click here)

And no, he wasn't lying. That is truly what the album deals with from most to least prevalent. Revered by some, Bastard made a statement about Tyler and Odd Future: "We will scare you while impressing you and if you don't like it, fuck off." About 3 months later, after a few more Odd Future releases, a 10-song album was released on the same website. EARL by Earl Sweatshirt had similar selling points to Bastard,

"Earl Sweatshirt Releases His First Fucking Album. Lyrics About Rape, Coke, And Couches Will Be Blaring In  Your Ears With The Dopest Fucking Beats To Date. Featuring Production By Tyler The Creator, Left Brain And Others. DOWNLOAD BY CLICKING THE FUCKING TITLE. "(or here)

Again, they weren't pulling any punches about the subject matter, only this release was seemingly darker. Tongue twisting lyrics over admittedly "dope" beats would take aback any person who was half listening. It was appalling, yet smooth. It was aggressive, yet intriguing. Frankly, it was somewhat grosser than Bastard, but it was executed with the sort of professionalism that would be admired by most people within the Hip Hop industry.

Oh, and it was done by a 16-year-old. 

Specifically, this 16-year-old.

Born Thebe Neruda Kgositsile, better known by his stage name, Earl Sweatshirt was born to a law professor at UCLA (his mother), and a South African poet (his father). Thebe grew up in Los Angeles, without his father after he left when Thebe was six. 

It is truly difficult to answer the question, "Who is Earl Sweatshirt?" The best course of action is to ask Earl himself. The titular track of his first album has some first words that sum it up substantially: 

"Yo, I'm a hot and bothered astronaut crashing while

Jacking off to buffering vids of Asher Roth eating apple sauce

Sent to Earth to poke Catholics in the ass with saws

And knock blunt ashes into their caskets and laugh it off"

Vulgar? Check. Offensive? Check. Now, poetic? Also check. Rappers are in the business of rhyming words, and this is where Earl breaks the mold. Obviously, the words rhyme, but it's the continued usage of the same sounds that populate each line that make Earl so impressive. Spoken Word poets who have written for years often can't attain the ability Earl has in this category. And it isn't just this song in which Earl shows off his talent, it's almost all. This kind of talent at such a young age is practically unheard of. In fact, it brings someone to mind... who was it again? 

The comparison has to be made. A short album, great beats, emceed by a teenager, Illmatic and EARL are both prime examples of the wunderkins of rap. Where they differ is obviously the subject matter. Nas dealt with the streets while Earl dealt with things most people don't feel comfortable talking about (for good reason). 

Included in that group of most people is Thebe's mother. After the release of EARL, and in turn Earl's (relatively) massive following, Earl was forced into becoming a recluse by his mother, starting with his mother not granting permission for a good amount of his music to be released. This left fans stunned. Earl was gone. Unseen and unheard for years. While Odd Future knew the whereabouts of Earl, they remained silent throughout his time away. In April of 2011, Complex released an article in which they released their own research on Earl's location, and revealed that Thebe Kgositsile had been residing at the Coral Reef Academy is Samoa. 

The Coral Reef Academy is basically a rehabilitation program for troubled kids. Whether it is depression, anger, or even drug use the Coral Reef Academy takes young men through a long process in which they are to emerged cleansed. Fans didn't take kindly to the notion that Earl was sent here against his will by his mother. These fans, though, had the completely wrong understanding. The angry mob that were Earl Sweatshirt fans were under the impression that his mother had heard his album and based solely on the music his mother had shipped him off. In an interview with Peter Rosenberg shortly after his return, Earl laughed at this notion. He was both open and closed off when saying to Peter, "Nah, I was fucking up." 

Earl returned in 2012 with a few features, and a couple singles. None of them bigger than the projected first single off his album to be released in 2013, "Chum."

A loop of a beat, a heavy bass, but a perfected flow. In his return from Samoa, Earl is no longer rapping about Rape, Coke, and Couches, but about how he actually feels (sound familiar?). His fears of fame, his feelings about his absent father, the expectation of his old fans. Earl has clearly turned over a leaf; however, not a new leaf. Rather, the same flow-filled, poetic leaf from the "Rape" side to the "Great" side. What EARL did was leave people wide-eyed, and it did it for 3 reasons: 1. Did he really just say that? 2. Is this kid really only 16? and 3. These rhymes are crazy!

EARL left listeners troubled, but respecting for the wrong reasons; "Chum" does so for the right reasons. 

Earl has spoken of releasing an album in the near future, saying that those who enjoyed his more vulgar songs will probably not enjoy it as much. "My mom likes it," said Earl. Doris is projected to drop in 2013.

The End of a Minute, The Dawn of an Era: Joey Bada$$ - 1999

It's been a minute since they've seen a style with no gimmicks

-The first line of 1999

Go through your daily routine. What does it involve? You wake up, eat breakfast, drive to school, educate yourself, hang with friends a little, go home, do homework, wash, rinse repeat? 

Now, imagine say, Jay-Z's daily routine. Wake up in Brooklyn next to Beyonce, go into the office in which you manage a record label, a clothing line, and a professional basketball team. Maybe record a track, maybe talk to Kanye, Obama if it's election season. Go to the Nets game that night.

There has to be an in-between right? Well, meet Jo-Vaughn Scott.

Jo-Vaughn is just an average 17 year old attending high school, living in Brooklyn, and hanging out with friends. Only, more often, Jo-Vaughn  is known as Joey Bada$$, the teenage hip hop revivalist with a flow that seemingly only veterans know. This is shown on his first mixtape 1999, released in 2012.

Part I: "Now we got ends, but it's only the beginning"

"Summer Knights"

The first track, "Summer Knights," just scratches the surface of all facets of the album: the flow, the topic, the styles (on styles, on styles). The smooth beat mixed with jazz samples and Joey's non-stop flow sets up the following track, "Waves." Keeping with the beginning smoothness to settle in the listener, "Waves" hook-less style entrances the listener with flow that hasn't been seen in Hip Hop for years.

"For it is not faux, nor false that this kid from the north, speaks with forced supports of reinforced assaults

I'm sure by now you can assume he never lost

Unless with some form of divorce, or a corpse"

As the beat builds in the background (like a tide), a recording of Tupac Shakur (seen being one of the greatest rappers here) plays in which Tupac discusses that the "rap audience" is not actually ready to see a "real" person. Joey ends by concluding that he will "make it all happen." The smoothness continues on the third track "FromdaTomb$" featuring Chuck Strangers, a fun track exhibiting Joey's love for Brooklyn ("the home of the realest") and his incredible gift for wordplay ("I got sick of class, started making classics"). Here, the album shifts a little.

Part II: "Ain't no half steppin' 'round me, And you gotta drown a fish before you clown me"

The shift in question is from chill to trill. This is notified by the gunshot and police sirens that open the next track "Survival Tactics." Joey manages to maintain his impressive flow while adding a new swagger into the mix; a harder, more violent Joey appears in the next few tracks. On "Survival Tactics" as well as "Killuminati" (the next track), Joey focuses less on achieving goals and more on the idea of proving himself. Whether its putting other rappers down, or talking about guns, Joey is clearly trying to come harder. "Hardknocks" (video below) makes excellent use of story telling as well as keeping with the themes Joey has hit on in the previous tracks. It's easily the most serious track on the album, which should make a listener wonder if it's also the most sincere. 

"Hardknocks"

The next track, "World Domination," is a funky transition. The only "harder" subjects it deals with is Joey's supposed "domination" (which frankly, at this point in the album, doesn't seem far off course). 

"And come out imputed with fusions of Blueprints and Illmatics*

I’ve been going raw, this just how I feel rappin'

We gave y'all sur' tactics, so y'all can’t even gas us

We taught you how to be prepared but still attacking the masses"

*Joey's personal answer to a classic question

Joey shows his range within the first half of the mixtape, and he continues this in...

Part III: "It’s PE [Pro Era: Joey's crew] leaving no hope for these hoes"

"Funky Ho'$"

Joey continues the album by discussing girls. Realizing the cliche, the first line of "Pennyroyal" goes, "another love song gone wrong." He goes on to discuss how it went wrong, and ends the song by recycling a Jay-Z hook (a personal favorite, by the way), "I can't see it comin' down my eyes, so I gotta let this song cry." Apparently Joey grew a little bitter about the happenings from "Pennyroyal," judging by the hook in his next song, "Funky Ho'$:" "I don't trust these bitches they will never catch me slippin." In a sense, it seems as if all of this is getting to him. On the next track, "Daily Routine," Joey expresses some uncertainty. He talks about how dreams of athletics or music might be a little misguided, and ultimately futile in a sense. However, by the end of the song, he concludes that rapping actually makes him more confident. Joey then takes a stab at a beat produced by one of the greatest, J. Dilla. "Snakes" is laid-back acceptance of the wrong-doers (the snakes) around him, and "Don't Front" is the end of a full bounce-back by Joey. At this point, Joey has gone deep into the intense side of hip hop as well as the softer side. It is at this point that Joey returns back to his routes from Part I.

Part IV: "See God made 3 Bigs, 2 Pacs, but he only made one era: The Era"

"Righteous Minds"

Joey comes right back with arguably the best track on the album, "Righteous Minds." An untouchable flow, clever wordplay, and a catchy hook makes this track really stand out. Joey actually recycled this beat as well from the Beatnuts. The following song, "Where It'$ At" is not as strong as "Righteous;" however, it does still sport an impressive flow and another smooth J. Dilla beat. This song could be seen as the fall of the falling action in the structure of the album.
Finally, the album reaches "Suspect." An twelve minute cypher, "Suspect" rocks a verse from each member of Pro Era. Each solid verse is followed by the Era chanting the chorus. The song ends with what might be the most impressive verse on the album.

'Til the day I die, I'll be puffing lye, fuck the world, fuck it dry
Tell them government spies I won't cover my eyes
Won't cower, won't move cause I don't move like a coward

Knowledge is power and the flower of life is (s)ours

Get as high as ours, maybe you could see the towers

Scour your dirty mind and maybe you unleash the power

We all got the potential in our body and soul, probably you know

I found mines right through the pencil, started bodying flows but fuck that

This be the preview of primeval hip-hop retrieval

I hold illegal like I'm copping, so weasels to squeal

This one for my people, headed to the top, no redo

Thinking up evil but see no evil just be knievel

I ain't ask to be this good, they just made me better

They told me cheese at the cams and they made me cheddar

And the green only made me clever

See God made three Bigs, two Pacs, but he only made one Era

The era

Overall, Joey Bada$$' freshman showing is just straight up impressive. An old school flow, a notable range, and an ultimate consistency make 1999 a truly special album. All of which is made more special when a listener stops to think, "Oh, he's 17." It has been a minute since a style has been seen successful without any gimmicks, and that 60 seconds is up.