I have garnered a reputation over the last few years as fan of indie music, which is perfectly understandable and correct. I love indie; there is no question about that. But what people don’t really remember is that I used to be a big fan of hip hop. I loved Tupac, Eminem, 50 all the mainstream rappers that most 13 year olds loved. I even got into BIG and Public Enemy, who were big back when rap was an underground hit.
There are a few reasons why I suppose I became infatuated with indie music and distanced from hip hop. I had a new group of friends who were all into that indie/ rock music and I naturally followed suit and loved it. There was the fact that Eminem as well as various other rappers experienced dips in their careers, some more so than others (except for Tupac, he kinda died.....) but whilst 50 was making awful films and Eminem was getting fat and lame, Indie was on the rise.
After rap became the big thing with rappers like Kanye West and Lil Wayne selling millions of records across the world, it became un-cool. The underground, rallying rap cries seemed to be lost in search of this global acclaim and rap music seemed to be forever lost in a gaping hole where genuinely shocking, funny and hard hitting rap was to forever be trying to claw its way out.
That is until now. Hip hop has risen, in the unlikely form of 12 teenage skaters from LA. Formed in 2007, when all of them were sweet 16, Odd Future (full name Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All) were rapping about things that were not so sweet, and putting their names across a world wide web of blogs all over the globe. Their crude but often darkly funny raps are both shocking and meaningful, in the style of early Eminem before them. Their leader Tyler, The Creator, has already released a solo album (Bastard) as well as another album which is being released at some point next month on XL Recordings as well as most of their members releasing solo material as well, giving away all of their material for free on their blog.
It wasn’t until the end of January though, that Odd Future truly caused a stir and people realised just how important they are becoming. Their late night performance on the Jimmy Fallon show was stuff of legends which isn’t bad considering it was their first television show. Even Mos Def called them SWAG.
Then Tyler released his solo masterpiece Yonkers. Filmed in black and white with the camera eerily focusing in and out in time with the music, Tyler’s dark lyrical theme and schizophrenic delivery (“I’m a fucking walking paradox/no I’m not) meshed both a psychopath and a genuine menace into 3 minutes of brilliant rap where he references not only the Flintstones but also Bruno Mars and the infamous Columbine mass killings. Whilst all this is happening he eats a bug, throws up and hangs himself. It’s a pretty intense few minutes. It’s certainly got a lot of attention as well, this video has had 3 million views since being added to YouTube just a month ago, and proving there is still a massive audience for underground rap.
We then have Earl Sweatshirt, who still at the tender age of 17 is Odd Future’s most deranged member, rapping about everything and anything that would make many upper class ladies faint in disbelief at just what is coming out of his mouth. Now though, rumour has it that Earl’s mum has sent him to boarding school and his promising rap career looks to be halted for an indefinite period of time. Not your average problem for a rap crew but nonetheless a pretty devastating prospect.
What is interesting about Odd Future is their message, if they have one. Is it a satire on the media outrage that teenagers are violent hooligans? Is it a genuine statement of discontent and angst in youth culture? Or are they just plain just fucking with us. What we do know is that if they carry on the way their going, re-inventing underground rap a bringing it back into the masses, the future most certainly looks to be an Odd one.
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