Odd Future Continue Reign of Terror: OF Tape 2 (Earl Sweatshirt's Back for "Oldie")
Not unlike the vast majority of middle American youth, my initial reaction after first see/hearing Odd Future was, "What the fuck!? That was AWESOME!" Post-Late Night with Jimmy Fallon thoughts: Wu-Tang Clan, Jackass, and The Neptunes. I'd heard of OF before Tyler & Hodgy's fateful Roots-backed performance of "Sandwitches," but I must admit that I missed the boat when Bastard and the other [solo] online releases came out (2009). To be completely frank, I was a tad bit put off by Tyler The Creator and company's vulgar rhymes about murder, rape, hate, etc. Because let's face it, no one's really that obscene, unless they're a serial killer; and either way, that shit's got to get old after while! "Yonkers" was great... Goblin, Nostalgia ULTRA, Untitled EP, "64" [Bass Drum of Death], "Earl" and his mysterious disappearance/return, The Internet, etc.
OF Tape 2, which is out now, marks the crew's first collaborative effort since 12 Odd Future Songs... Earl Sweatshirt's triumphant return back to civilization, Odd Future "dialing it back" a little bit, and 18 BRAND NEW tracks for the masses. I personally feel like OF Tape 2 plays out like 36 Chambers: Every crew member contributing. In-house artwork, production, rapping, design, promotion, the whole 9. Components which OF were initially based around that I feel like they strayed away from recently with their initial burst of fame. OF Tape 2 is an in-your-face no bullshit, no gimmick posse album that represents everything that they stand for pretty well! For Odd Future fans both new and old alike.
"Oldie" is the record's closing cut (Track #18) and it literally features every member of Odd Future: Tyler The Creator, Hodgy Beats, Earl Sweatshirt, Frank Ocean, Mike G, Syd Tha Kyd, Left Brain, Taco, Jasper Dolphin, The Internet, Domo Genesis, and friend-skater Lucas Vercetti. "Oldie"'s companion music video was filmed behind-the-scenes @ a recent Terry Richardson photoshoot by Lance Bangs (Jackass). Jeff Tremaine, Bangs, and Dickhouse Productions will all contribute to OF's upcoming Chappelle's Show-esque 15-minute sketch comedy series, "Loiter Squad." Episode #1 will debut on March 25th during Adult Swim's scheduled block of shows. Expect new efforts from Tyler The Creator, Frank Ocean, and MellowHype TBR sometime during 2012.