Inspired by this Earl Sweatshirt that I finally got around to listening to today because, WHOA.

If you've ever been depressed, you know about The Wallow. Every once in a while, you want to lock yourself in your room/apartment with your substance of choice and some junk food and just stop trying so damn hard to function. "Life is so bleak," you say to yourself, "and I'm tired of fighting it. Fuck what anyone thinks. Fuck their concerns about my well-being. Today, I'm going to take these 24 hours to listen to depressing music, read Infinite Jest, and completely give up."

(IMPORTANT NOTE: It's ok to give up for 24 hours, but don't go any longer and for God's sake don't REALLY give up. If you ever feel that desperate out-of-control feeling, please reach out to someone. If you have no one else, I'm happy to be that person, as I have been there and come out the other side).

There are some albums that capture that feeling perfectly. The hip-hop albums that do so work very well for me. I can think of three of the top of my head:

Mobb Deep "The Infamous": the gold standard. the beats are so dark and grimy, and Havoc and Prodigy do a great job rhyming about the awfulness without any urgency. When I want to wallow, I don't want any intensity or emerging from the other side a better person, which is why Cuban Linx and TPAB don't work for me. They are epic, wonderful albums, but they cut the depression too much. Give me the raw, uncut give up, please.

Cannibal Ox "The Cold Vein": maybe shouldn't count due to "Scream Phoenix" at the end, but El P even makes the uplifting song sound dirty and broken. The rest of it? Utter desolation.

Earl Sweatshirt "That Long Ass Album Title": because, WHOA

This is not a comprehensive list. Add yours. When you want to mix a little Goth in with your hip hop, what do you listen to?

BONUS NON HIP-HOP ALBUMS

Big Star "Third"
Nick Drake "Pink Moon"

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bshelly

"You (Fisher) could get fired, Les Snead could get fired, Kevin Demoff could get fired, but I will always be Eric Dickerson.” (c) The God