Earl Sweatshirt’s “Hive”

Earl Sweatshirt, arguably the most talented member of Odd Future, is releasing his second album, Doris, on August 20th. So far he has released three singles: “Chum“, “Whoa“, and now “Hive”. Hive, I believe, is his strongest effort yet. It starts off examining where Earl is in his life: disregarding his goals in exchange for instant pleasure and gratitude provided by his success. He believes himself to be better than all current rappers, expressing his hubris by calling himself Brutus and thereby threatening to dethrone the current king, whoever it may be. Not only is this attitude present in the lyrics of Hive, but Earl has also expressed his concerns with the lackluster state of rap today in interviews as well. With Jay Z moving into the realm of “performance art”, Snoop Dogg turning his back on rap in exchange for reggae, and (as much as I love the guy) RiFF RaFF’s general lifestyle I can see how hip hop today has the potential to not be taken seriously. However, I have to disagree with him considering the recent efforts of Kendrick Lamar, Death Grips, and Earl himself.

In fact, it’s hard to doubt the vital stats of rap when listening to “Hive”. This song makes you feel downright dirty. I feel like I’m in a crack house surrounded by moaning shells of former humans. The beat, composed of slo-mo bass and minimal drums, barely making it through the high and into my consciousness, just enough to get me to bob my head. After, Earl’s effortless, or maybe lifeless, first verse, the chorus kicks in, and the ghosts begin moaning. A cheap keyboard struggles to gain momentum, but questions the point of it all and merely lets out a few peeps. It’s all hauntingly satisfying. Vince Staples closes out the song with a semi-convincing effort for his exceptionally long verse. It’s a difficult task following Earl’s incredible lyricism and rhythm, but Staples manages to hold up his end of the deal.

All of Earl’s music videos thus far have had a surreal aspect to them. Frogs, ballerinas, and now haunting black smiley faces all compose motifs for his videos. Each one is psychologically unsettling in their own way. I have yet to figure out what they all mean; perhaps its just another cockroach for the Odd Future crowd to flaunt. Either way, all of the videos have been original and memorable.

Make sure to keep an eye out for Doris on August 20th