Genres: Hip Hop/Rap, Avant-garde Rap, Abstract Hip Hop, Art Rap, Alternative West Coast Hip Hop
Earl Sweatshirt is an American rapper, songwriter, and one of my favorites. His avant-garde style and monotone voice create a wonderfully comfortable soundscape. His art is extremely personal, often examining his mental health and overall self-image.
Earl wears his heart on his sleeve, and that’s why I admire his work. He made me understand that these emotions are natural and to find beauty in those feelings. He writes, “I spent days faded and anemic / You could see it in my face, I ain’t been eatin’, I’m just wastin’ away/ Looks like the way that River Phoenix went gon’ end up my fate/ And when they drag me out the gutter, mail the ashes to my mother.”
His latest studio album, VOIR DIRE, is an introspective look into himself, and with accompaniment from arguably one of the best producers of our generation, Earl and The Alchemist create a very enjoyable listen.
Track three, “Sentry (feat. Mike),” is nonstop, despite the title’s meaning. Defined as “a soldier stationed to keep guard or to control access to a place,” the song dissects the generational trauma of African American people. His lyrics include the following reflections: “Actually, I started in the mid / Actually, I started in Illinois, Khoikhoi and Tswana in the kid / Bloodstains in my fatherland / Bloodstainds in my motherland.”
The beat follows a non-percussive structure, meaning it is just strings, winds, or voices with no drums. Earl’s vocal delivery, matched with the repeating vocal sample, puts you in a trance that is broken by a crazy flow switch by MIKE.
Track six, titled “27 Braids,” feels like an uncomfortably personal conversation with a loved one that you haven’t connected with in a while—catching up, seeing how each of you has grown, and sharing long-awaited emotions. This uncomfortable conversational tone is captured in the verses, ” Twenty-seven braids fallin’ over my face / My head on straight, my mama closing the gate / And both of them sleep better when they know that I ate / I’m goin’ through changes that I couldn’t fathom / But growin’ pains leave an understanding”
The beat has ominous undertones, with a trailing synth perpetuating throughout the entire song, separated percussion, and a riff that echoes through your skull.
The final track, titled “Free The Ruler” feels like hiking to the peak of a mountain. The feeling of accomplishment, knowing that you could’ve quit, but you kept going. And once you make it, you can finally catch your breath and truly appreciate everything around you.
“I’m back cuttin’ up a list of reasons I love my mother’s laugh / The best one is that’s just what it is.” I connect to this lyric because I, too, deeply love and appreciate my mother, and I will forever be in debt to her. She showed me how to understand and feel my emotions.
VOIR DIRE is a great listen and a wonderful entry into Earl Sweatshirt and his catalog. I do think this has weaker points; however, the good outweighs the bad.
I give this record a 7/10.
