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My thoughts on Earl....Enjoy Lesson heads....
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Review: 15 Thoughts On Earl Sweatshirt's 'Doris' LP
VIBE
Even before the release of his major label debut Doris, the mystique surrounding Earl Sweatshirt would certainly crush lesser MC’s. Back in 2009, the Los Angeles -based talent and member of the controversial Odd Future collective was a barely 16-year-old neophyte who faced the ridiculous task of living up to the hype of being his crew’s golden child. With OF ringleader Tyler, The Creator handling production duties, his free digital download Earl was as vile as it was stunning (murder fantasies never sounded so poetic). But as with all music folklore the best stories tend to be weirdly dramatic. Before Earl could even trade off on the hype he was sent to a Somoa boarding school out of his mother’s fear that her baby boy would fall victim to rock-and-roll indulgence. Which is why Doris is being viewed by many as one of this year’s most important releases. So how does the lyrical wonder measure up? VIBE dissects Earl Sweatshirt’s Doris. —Keith Murphy (@murphdogg29)
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1. No, Doris’ opening track “Pre” is not a Chief Keef outtake. The minimalist sneering guest spot by Frank Ocean’s cousin SK La' Flare leans heavily on the ‘hood nihilism of Chicago’s bad seed. Yet with go-to-lines that seems straight out of a TRAP-STAR-STARTER-KIT (If you are a Molly-popping, Mercedes-riding, hollow-point-bullet-blasting obsessive, Flare’s no-frills verse is for you), “Pre” works effectively as a sneaky Trojan horse. “Hard as arm services, y'all might have heard of him Escobarbarian/Best call the lawyers up,” Earl delivers in just about the most stripped-down way possible. Indeed, this is a lure for first-time listeners who may be intimidated by Earl’s complex wordplay.
2. Okay. Earl Sweatshirt gets down to business on “Burgundy” offering a blurry two-minutes-and-eight seconds breakdown of what its like to be Odd Future’s most gifted (and hyped) lyricist. The bantam rhymer speaks eloquently on dealing with his grandmother’s passing while handling the pressures of finishing up his much-anticipated debut as a dismissive voice disses, “Niggas want to hear you rap. Don't nobody care about how you feel, we want raps, nigga.” This is more like it.
3. Speaking of “Burgundy,” how insanely cool would an Odd Future project produced entirely by the Neptunes and overseen by a suddenly reinvigorated Pharrell come off? Just saying.
4. Next OF representative to blow: Domo Genesis. Don’t take my word for it. Just click play on “20 Wave Caps” and “Knight.” The kid is rabid on the mic.
5. Best Song #3: The bleeding heart paced “Sunday,” on which our low-key hero describes how his newfound fame contributes to sabotaging a romantic relationship. “I don’t know why we argue, and I just hope that you listen/And if I hurt you I'm sorry, the music makes me dismissive,” Earl explains himself over an organ-drenched, melancholy track. Reflective for a 19-year-old.
6. “Sunday” again: The more the aforementioned Frank Ocean raps the easier it is to envision the R&B rebel totally switching lanes to spitting bars in the booth. If you want to hear the singer’s impressive take on his January fight with Chris Brown, it’s all here.
7. Doris’ lyrical blackout moment comes on the demented, diabolical second single “Whoa.” Tyler handles chorus duties as Earl drops this unmitigated verbal thrashing: “Yeah, the misadventures of a shit-talker/Pissed as Rick Ross' fifth sip off his sixth lager/Known to sit and wash the sins off at the pitch alter/Hat never backwards like the print off legit manga/Get it?/Like a blue pill, make ya stick longer/Or a swift fist off your chin from his wrist launcher…” Well, damn.
8. And, yes, Tyler, the Creator is still a sick bastard. Check his verse on the gloriously obscene “Sasquatch.” “Got some One Direction tickets/I should hit that up/Drive by with puppy signs plastered on the truck/Then see how many of they fans could fit inside the trunk.” Tyler loves the kids.
Check out the rest of the Doris review at: http://www.vibe.com/photo-gallery/review-15-thoughts-earl-sweatshirts-doris-lp
GOAT of his era......long live Prince.....God is alive....
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