Ultra-violence and erotic-grotesque, lyrical themes revolving around Nazi symbolism, anal rape, and Steve Harvey that make Brotha Lynch Hung seem like Will Smith, the Odd Future collective (or more properly known as OFWGKTA [Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All]) are the next revolution of underground hip-hop. Their popularity already snowballing during the past year, the collective has been compared to the likes of Wu-Tang Clan, and although this may be a label put on any new aspiring rap group that is getting their fair share of press, the term is very fitting here, with the Odd Future collective spanning over a vast amount of members including that of "leader" Tyler, the Creator, his brother Earl Sweatshirt, Domo Genesis, Left Brain, Hodgy Beats, and many others to boot. Each member often appearing on each others albums and even during live shows the stage is shared equally by the members, trading off and performing with other members on songs.
Tyler, the Creator is perhaps the most well known of the group, followed by his brother Earl (who is supposedly in bootcamp right now after his Mother had heard his album). Tyler's album Bastard was finished when he was only 17/18, and Earl finished his earlier this year at the age of 16. Both albums possess a dystopian, darkly ambient feeling that clashes perfectly with the raw vulgarity present.
The whole crew themselves are young, ranging from the age of 16-21, they produce their own beats and push forward a visual style in both video and album art which is almost as abrasive as their lyrics. The effect of their music is quite polarizing, but if you look beyond the surface you'll see past the wrongly accused label of "horror-core" and see something much deeper, almost depressive, with Tyler's album, Bastard, often referencing the father he never knew. Despite all this though, many of the members show a strong sense of intelligence, self-awareness, and tongue-in-cheek lyricism that goes far beyond the years and the skills of their peers in the rap game. Groups like MellowHype (consisting of Left Brain and Hodgy Beats) and Mike G focus less on the vulgarity and explore more ethereal and experimental forms of hip-hop. There isn't much to say about this group that hasn't been said already. You'll either love it or hate it upon listening. To all the Female Trouble readers, I'm more than positive you'll enjoy.
The rest of Odd Future's albums, mixtapes, singles, etc. can be downloaded directly from their Tumblr for free.
-Garrett
