Swag Gone Mad: Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All

Swag Gone Mad: Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All

By: Sam Gelfand

Earl Sweatshirt has got to be a little overwhelmed, wherever he is.  He’s the instantly iconic member of a California multimedia collective which is widely viewed as a new front in the world of rap.  Despite remaining unsigned and extremely raw, they are just a few days away from making their world debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and they have been booked to perform at Coachella later this year.  Unfortunately, Earl isn’t going to be there.  He’s locked up – in some far away school, or juvenile detention, or just at home.  There is no mention of exactly where he is.  The group’s Tumblr page is loaded with footnotes that read “Free Earl,” which is the only reminder that there’s anything in this universe holding them back from instantly conquering the brave new world of digital hip hop media.

The group in question is Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, a cult-like collective comprised mostly of teenagers from lower class Los Angeles.  The hype is still a little bit underground –  they don’t have Kanye or Dr. Dre setting up tour dates or booking studio time for them.  They are not about to release a major label debut.  But one look at their incredibly vulgar and raw YouTube clips tells you all you need to know.  They’re brimming with the excitement of doing something new and all their own – “swagged out,” as they refer to it a little too often.

Odd Future reads as an astutely chosen label for what’s happening here.  Take, for instance, the group’s apparent leader, Tyler the Creator.  A few days ago, he excitedly made an announcement regarding the release of his music video.  The announcement was not filmed in front of a live audience or announced by his publicist, but rather haphazardly released via Twitter with a few clicks of a mouse.  Ten years ago, this level of DIY uprising was unimaginable.  Therefore, it isn’t surprising that the only ones who can pull it off are young enough to have grown up in this digital society.  And their content reflects an in-depth understanding of that culture.

Tyler’s crew is at once vulgar, disturbing, and brilliant.  His productions are profoundly dark and biting – in “Bastard,” a thirty second video, he plays piano while he eases through lyrics about depression resulting from never having a father in his life.  On other clips, like “French,” his voice is modified to dip into lower registers that reflect his true blue approach to hip-hop.  There’s an interesting dichotomy to Tyler’s style (he declares himself to be a paradox in the first line of “Yonkers”), which is found in most of the other members of Odd Future.  Their content is simultaneously profoundly mature as well as disgustingly adolescent.  They reference sexual assault and unleash rapid fire derogatory language, but do so while utilizing a form that is surprisingly advanced for a performer of any age.  The content is so offensive that when member Earl Sweatshirt played a mix tape of himself for his mother, she sent him to boarding school.  At least this is the rumor and most common explanation for the “Free Earl” movement.

Despite the vulgarity, there is no lack of enthusiasm around the internet for what their crew is setting out to achieve.  Pitchfork recently wrote a lengthy, highly enthusiastic feature that touched on their unique swagger.  The magic is not solely based on the shock value, or the intellect of the members, or the proficiency of their craft – but also on the loose definition of the podium they stand on.  Unlike previous eras in rap, where an artist was inherently part of their geographical surroundings, OFWGKTA represents both everything and nothing.  The amusingly named “AssMilk” features a dirty, clicking beat that hangs over the high-end-heavy keyboard loop.  This kind of grimey production recalls the recent East London movement, while the lyrics are written out like an Eminem freestyle on ritalin.  “Sloppy seconds are my preference, except for when I’m feeding on the flesh of a pedestrian,” Earl says in one of his verses.  His wordplay is the most advanced of the group, sometimes writing entire stanzas around one word.

Compared with Tyler’s darker, more mature style, the two make a perfect combination.  Earl is the life of the party, and Tyler is the death of it.  This harkens back to the self-described paradox of their creations.  Underneath the plethora of visible influences is a cohesive thing that is undeniably unique and self-sustained.

Odd Future is a wet dream for the internet freedom fighters who have been battling record company executives since the days of Napster.  All of their music is free, in the sense that anybody can download it, as well as in the sense that they can say and do anything they want to without fear of repercussions.  That sense of freedom is particularly palpable in Earl’s tracks.  “I’m a hot an bothered astronaut / crashing while jacking off / to buffering vids of Asher Roth eating apple sauce,” Earl raps in his self-titled track.  “Slip capsules in her glass, she Dizzy Rascal,” he says, as images of his friends bleeding flash by on the screen.  It’s every bit as juvenile as it sounds, but the sixteen year old spits out the rhyme as if overjoyed with the sheer freedom allocated to him by performing in this world where nobody is telling him what to do.  Well, the freedom that will be allocated to him after he leaves boarding school.

Their clan isn’t just a group of rappers looking the next street battle.  They are also talented videographers, editors, and producers.  There is no safety net.  They take all the risks themselves, without anyone to answer to.  Earl and Tyler are almost like Lewis and Clark, mapping out uncharted territory and documenting every moment of their journey.  It’s a bold, it’s new, and nobody seems to know what to expect.  Which is all the more reason to pay attention.  Even if Odd Future crashes and burns because of inexperience and incompetence, they will piss people off.  And it will be extremely entertaining.

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(Originally posted February 16, 2011)