Earl Sweatshirt Experiments With Hip-Hop's Roots In "Some Rap Songs"

Every genre has at least one artist that has an affinity to make some weird music. For hip-hop, Earl Sweatshirt may be the most notorious. His new effort shows, however, that it’s possible to make something with a message even with an experimental format. Earl Sweatshirt experiments with hip-hop’s roots in Some Rap Songs, diving into the genre’s classics to put a unique spin on the messages.

Despite having 15 tracks, Some Rap Songs clocks in at under 25 minutes long, meaning that each song is very shirt. Earl Sweatshirt doesn’t waste a single second on this album, not bothering with typical song structure and even instrumental moments and diving straight into the message he has to share. ‘Shattered Glass‘ opens the record slowly, a chill but weird atmosphere introducing Earl Sweatshirt’s experimental vibe easily. From there, the album dives right in with tracks like the weirdly threatening ‘Cold Summers‘ and the existential, empowering ‘Nowhere2go.‘

While there’s a short run time on the record, a lot is said within it. Many of the songs on the record have an old-school vibe that carry a lot of punch with them, like ‘Ontheway!‘ with Standing On The Corner. Some of the edgier tracks later on the record really vibe with the old-school ivbe, like the vicious ‘Veins‘ and the vintage flow of ‘Azucar.‘ Earl Sweatshirt continues down the experimental path in tracks like ‘Peanut‘ before closing track ‘Riot!‘ ends the record with some chill jazzy vibes.

Earl Sweatshirt experiments with hip-hop’s roots in Some Rap Songs, bringing a unique and pertinent sound to the table while still staying true to what he does. You don’t see a lot of experimental music making a statement so adeptly like this often.

Favorite Track: Nowhere2Go

Least Favorite Track: Red Water

Rating: 70 / 100

Stream or buy Some Rap Songs on Apple Music, and follow our 2018 Playlist on Spotify: