earl is always someone i’m excited to hear from in or outside of music. he never does what you expected him to do. sonically he’s been down a path that that’s reminiscent of mos def and mf doom, where the beat might have you say, “what the fuck is this?” if you’re not familiar. but if you stay and listen closely you find more than what meets the eye. artist like earl have always had a place in hip hop. they may not reach pop music status but definitely cause a moment of, “hold up i need to check this out before i move on with my day”. by design earl doesn’t love the spotlight but understand the balance of being forward facing when the time is right to present his work to the audience of hip hop. he’ll pop up here and there with moments and hip hop will nod their head in approval or laughter and then it back to the dark alleys of hip hop where he looms making music and putting on artist like mike and mavi. artist that are great rappers and artist but also don’t fit inside what is “popular” by the mainstream, and may not want the attention of the mainstream. artist like earl can still kind of move around without causing riots unlike their counterparts like a drake or Kendrick. earl can rap at the same level when it comes to bars and rhymes but he’s not selling the flashy image or lifestyle that comes with being a rapper, he’s selling himself and his truth.
just this weekend earl has dropped a suprise album with little to no promotion just as tyler did a few months ago. with an interview with the new York post via their popcast. 10 songs and about 25 mins out audio. i’m excited to sit with these songs as see what secrets unfold in the coming days.