New future for Odd Future alum

‘I Don’t Like S—t, I Don’t Go Outside: An Album by Earl Sweatshirt’ review

By Alex Stanton, Staff Writer

4/5

Thebe Kgositsile, better known as Earl Sweatshirt, released his second major label studio album, I Don’t Like S—t, I Don’t Go Outside: An Album by Earl Sweatshirt, in March. Almost entirely self-produced under the pseudonym RandomBlackDude, I Don’t Like S—t is the culmination of Earl’s tumultuous career as a musician so far.

Right from the opening organ chords of the first track, “Huey,” it’s easy to spot the signature production style of Odd Future, the hip hop collective where Earl began. From those same opening seconds, you get a pretty good idea of the attention to detail that Earl puts into this alternative but digestible 30-minute long album. Like many hip hop records, this onebenefits greatly from its shortened length.

Unlike Kendrick Lamar’s recent release, To Pimp a Butterfly—which deals with institutionalized racism against blacks in the United States—this album is, lyrically, a very personal record for Earl. On “Grief,” the lengthiest song on the album, Earl speaks from experience about issues such as anxiety and addiction. “Grown Ups” is a song directed towards his absent father who left when Earl was a child. On “Inside,” Earl expresses his desire to pluck himself from his roots as a member of Odd Future and as a sideman to Tyler’s bandleader.

Odd Future alumnus Vince Staples is one of four rappers who appear on the album, contributing to the track “Wool.” Odd Future producer, Vyron “Left Brain” Turner, produced “Off Top,” the only song not credited to RandomBlackDude, in the same production style that has worked for him for years.

Although Earl has grown and is trying to break away from the pack, this album is still Odd Future through and through. Like Odd Future itself, Earl’s music is an acquired taste.