Thebe Neruda Kgositsile,
better known as Earl Sweatshirt, is a 19 year old American rapper who is a
central figure of the rap group Odd Future. Earl Sweatshirt gained publicity
shorty after releasing his mixtape, Earl, and his mom sent him off to boarding
school in Samoa until he turned 18. After coming back from his hiatus, Earl was
destined for greatness and it was not before long that he started popping up as
a featured artist for many rappers including Tyler the Creator, Frank Ocean,
and Mac Miller. Not only did we start seeing him on other tracks, Earl launched
his own website, gained over 50,000 followers on Twitter, and announced his
newest album to be released, titled Doris.
Doris was
released on August 20, 2013, under Earl's own label Tan Cressida and Columbia
Records. Doris featured Odd Future members Domo Genesis, Frank Ocean,
Casey Veggies, Tyler, the Creator, along with Vince Staples, RZA and Mac
Miller. The album featured complex rhyming and creative lyrics and was praised
by Hip Hop fans worldwide. Earl is setting new standards for rappers everywhere by using a gritty underground style of production with lyrics that speak a greater truth that is often overlooked by the average listener. The real question is how far can this rap prodigy go?
Additional Links About Earl:
In the above link, Earl is interviewed by a journalist for Pitchfork. The journalist describes how it is hard to get ahold of Earl among many dropped calls as Earl is very particular with his publicity. An interesting read to get more background on the 19 year old rapper.
The above link is to Odd Futures website, which Earl is a cornerstone member. Odd Future is a quirky group and the above website may be found offensive to some individuals. The link provides more info on Earl as well as his tour dates and locations for 2013.
The above link is to Earls Rap Genius page. This may be interesting to those who want to understand Earl's music more and want to know the deeper content of his somewhat dark seeming lyrics. Rap Genius takes songs and breaks the lyrics down bar by bar to give the listener a better understanding on what the music is truly about.