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Aug 23, 2013 Earl Sweatshirt By Ryan E.C. Hamm

It’s not an exaggeration to say some of the most anticipated hip-hop albums of the past few years have all been from the Odd Future camp. Some of the anticipation wasn’t necessarily positive, because the band was partially known for the horrific lyrics espoused by Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt in their mid- to late-teens—rape, homophobia, insane misogyny, and graphic violence were all gleeful subjects, and it was as awful as you’d expect. But much like Eminem’s output of the early ‘00s, the reprehensible lyrical content was tied to some of the most exciting music being released, which left music fans in a tough spot.

Fast forward a few years, and you have Tyler, the Creator’s Wolf mixing some of the old shock lyrics with lines that reminded the world he was also pretty depressed, while Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange became one of the best R&B records of the past 20 years. And now, Earl Sweatshirt, Odd Future’s most naturally talented rapper, has released his major label debut, Doris.

First things first: There aren’t any songs that approach the vileness of songs like “Epar,” his song from his Earl mixtape that’s best never heard by anyone. That’s not to say that Earl (real name: Thebe Neruda Kgositsile) has completely left offensiveness behind—there’s still some violence lurking under the surface (“Centurion”) and some pretty dumb sentiments toward women (“Molasses”). But mostly, he’s turned his attention to more grown-up concerns: facing fame (“Whoa”), relationship woes (“Sunday”), dealing with an absentee father (“Chum”) and, of course, lots and lots of weed (pretty much every song).

Musically, Doris takes some listens to reveal its brilliance. Most of the production (handled by Tyler, the Creator, The Neptunes, RZA, Christian Rich, and Earl himself) maintains a crawling, ominous buzz that oozes along, belying how complex the samples and beats actually are. Earl’s raps work similarly—what might first seem like a simplistic stoner flow recited in a dull cadence eventually shows itself as hyper-complicated interior (and exterior) rhymes obsessed with how words and sounds come together. Lyrically, Earl’s also grown into an ability to create a tone and feeling through imagery in his lyrics (especially on “Hive” and “Sasquatch”) to tell some compelling stories of people and places. While there are some tracks with immediate payoff (“Chum” and “Hive” chief among them), most of Doris needs to be listened to several times to start to unpack its density.

Overall, Doris will likely stand tall as another step in the maturing and deepening of the Odd Future ethos and sound. It’s nice to hear some more grown-up (or at the very least, less overtly horrifying) lyrics, especially compared to the indefensible lyrics of previous efforts—and it’s even better to hear someone with talent as obvious and raw as Earl Sweatshirt trying to put it to good use. It’s obvious there’s still plenty of room for some maturing (especially with the group’s approach to women), but it’s nice to at least see a little progress to go along with the stunning music. (www.earlsweatshirt.com)

Author rating: 8/10