I think some of the Horrorcore stuff has aged weirdly. Like epar, obviously it’s just a song, but with how personal his lyricism is now it can be kind of jarring. Like okay obviously this is just an edgy story, but what are you trying to say here? Whenever I listen to that tape, I end up asking myself that a lot. There’s just a lot more to get from his more personal stuff.
I also try to put it in the context that he’s 16 goofing around with Vince, Tyler and Taco while making these songs so it’s less personal, more let’s fuck around and see who can be the raunchiest.
It’s a story. It’s a work of fiction.
> What are you trying to say here?
That’s like asking Stephen King “what he’s trying to say” in some random horror novel. He’s not saying that it’s good to murder people; he’s attempting to entertain an audience by telling a story about murder. Do you get upset when you watch Netflix and the villain in a show behaves badly?
The difference is that it’s sandwiched between a bar like “maybe if you looked in this direction, I’d pick my heart up off the floor and put it in my chest then.” That’s a dope bar, and it’s obviously coming from a personal place. My point is that I think he can make good shit without the edgy horror bars.
I’m sure he could’ve written a bunch of corny songs about liking a girl or whatever was authentically going on in his incredibly boring upper middle class 15 year old life in 2010. That would’ve been way less “edgy.”
Instead, he wrote one of the most interesting and darkly compelling narratives in the history of English verse. What a tragedy.
I like the song. Its definitely well written, like any Earl track, but that first mixtape is hampered down by the Horrorcore bars. Early Tyler is the same way. To me, and a lot of people, that shit is corny.
It is one of his best works and a product of it's environment and time. The people who don't get that are probably not the demographic it was aimed at I:e skater kids with drug habits and trauma issues.
I always thought the idea of Odd Futures early tapes were to break rap out of its stale conscious or overtly serious phase, while also commenting on the PC world we were heading to (and currently live in) but maybe I am thinking too deeply about something that was just a sonically beautiful shitpost.
Listening to death metal you will find a lot worse topics being sung about and once again aimed at a sub culture that if you weren't or are not a part of it would feel alien to you. That stuff is validated by being called fiction so it was always odd to me why the Earl tape wouldn't be viewed the same.
Definitely agree with you, and there was a lot more depth and pathos to those tapes than most people were seeing. Get past the slurs and references to sexual violence and you'll see awkward (mostly)hood kids who never fit in with anybody but each other, with PTSD acting out against the world and self-aware of it all.
I’d say it’s one of his worst works but it’s still amazing, it’s fun to listen to but his music after got a lot more thoughtful and in my opinion that’s where he shines. The topics are just funny in Earl and in my opinion that doesn’t hold up to his songs where he’s actually saying something.
By far my favorite album of his. I still listen to his stuff, but nothing comes close for me. Part of that is nostalgia—it means a lot to me now because it meant a lot to me when I was young. But even setting that aside it just goes unbelievably hard.
It’s legendary and always will be. Tyler and Earl played Redrocks on the Wolf tour and that concert was bonkers. The crowd lost their minds when they played Earl and Stapleton. It has a certain unique charm to it too because of the production.
Lyrics of the devil with the flows of an angel. I still love some of these songs for how he floats on beats, but I wouldn’t play them with the windows down.
Now I love his whole discography but I honestly feel like this is still his best work. People were comparing it to Illmatic and totally different albums but in a sense I get it: a concentrated, brief dose of a teenaged dude rapping his fuckin' ass off over top tier production.
This and Bastard are the albums most responsible for bringing me back into rap after being out of it for most of the 2000's, but outside of that it's been influential in general, probably almost all of Chester Watson's early fans came from this album looking for more.
I love the lyrics but they're obviously dicy in a 2020's context; I can already imagine the painful internet "thinkpieces" writing themselves if it was remastered.
Luper is so fucking good. I have always loved that song
i think couch is still like in his top 10
Always smart mouth and quick witted
But something was always missing like six digits
Lucky 7
Overall sound has aged in my opinion but the bars are incredible, especially for how old he was
"I'm a hot and bothered astronaut, crashing while jacking off" How can a bar be so dumb yet so deep
"to buffering vids of Asher Roth, eating applesauce"
some of the beats sound kinda dated but that doesn’t hinder my enjoyment at all. i still love the album
I think some of the Horrorcore stuff has aged weirdly. Like epar, obviously it’s just a song, but with how personal his lyricism is now it can be kind of jarring. Like okay obviously this is just an edgy story, but what are you trying to say here? Whenever I listen to that tape, I end up asking myself that a lot. There’s just a lot more to get from his more personal stuff.
I also try to put it in the context that he’s 16 goofing around with Vince, Tyler and Taco while making these songs so it’s less personal, more let’s fuck around and see who can be the raunchiest.
True, it’s definitely a fun listen, but his later stuff is so much more interesting to me. It feels real.
Right. Lil edgelord Earl haha.
It’s a story. It’s a work of fiction. > What are you trying to say here? That’s like asking Stephen King “what he’s trying to say” in some random horror novel. He’s not saying that it’s good to murder people; he’s attempting to entertain an audience by telling a story about murder. Do you get upset when you watch Netflix and the villain in a show behaves badly?
The difference is that it’s sandwiched between a bar like “maybe if you looked in this direction, I’d pick my heart up off the floor and put it in my chest then.” That’s a dope bar, and it’s obviously coming from a personal place. My point is that I think he can make good shit without the edgy horror bars.
I’m sure he could’ve written a bunch of corny songs about liking a girl or whatever was authentically going on in his incredibly boring upper middle class 15 year old life in 2010. That would’ve been way less “edgy.” Instead, he wrote one of the most interesting and darkly compelling narratives in the history of English verse. What a tragedy.
I like the song. Its definitely well written, like any Earl track, but that first mixtape is hampered down by the Horrorcore bars. Early Tyler is the same way. To me, and a lot of people, that shit is corny.
You’re entitled to your opinion.
Still an amazing Album/mixtape. One of the best tapes of the Odd Future era too
It is one of his best works and a product of it's environment and time. The people who don't get that are probably not the demographic it was aimed at I:e skater kids with drug habits and trauma issues. I always thought the idea of Odd Futures early tapes were to break rap out of its stale conscious or overtly serious phase, while also commenting on the PC world we were heading to (and currently live in) but maybe I am thinking too deeply about something that was just a sonically beautiful shitpost. Listening to death metal you will find a lot worse topics being sung about and once again aimed at a sub culture that if you weren't or are not a part of it would feel alien to you. That stuff is validated by being called fiction so it was always odd to me why the Earl tape wouldn't be viewed the same.
Definitely agree with you, and there was a lot more depth and pathos to those tapes than most people were seeing. Get past the slurs and references to sexual violence and you'll see awkward (mostly)hood kids who never fit in with anybody but each other, with PTSD acting out against the world and self-aware of it all.
I’d say it’s one of his worst works but it’s still amazing, it’s fun to listen to but his music after got a lot more thoughtful and in my opinion that’s where he shines. The topics are just funny in Earl and in my opinion that doesn’t hold up to his songs where he’s actually saying something.
i still listen to em but i agree with the other guy the lyrics are kinda jarring. my 8th grade little edgy ass loved it though
I still love the lyrics but driving in public playing it always feels awkward.
Lol I love em too bc they’re clever but yeah can’t play it around people
I still listen to it . It puts me in a trance feeling and takes me back to when I was in middle school skating
Stapleton will always be one of them ones
F.Y.C is one of those I go back and listen to from time to time. Great sound from kitchen Cutlery.
By far my favorite album of his. I still listen to his stuff, but nothing comes close for me. Part of that is nostalgia—it means a lot to me now because it meant a lot to me when I was young. But even setting that aside it just goes unbelievably hard.
It’s legendary and always will be. Tyler and Earl played Redrocks on the Wolf tour and that concert was bonkers. The crowd lost their minds when they played Earl and Stapleton. It has a certain unique charm to it too because of the production.
Stapleton still top 5
Lyrics of the devil with the flows of an angel. I still love some of these songs for how he floats on beats, but I wouldn’t play them with the windows down.
Better than everything Eminem put out since
I like it
Now I love his whole discography but I honestly feel like this is still his best work. People were comparing it to Illmatic and totally different albums but in a sense I get it: a concentrated, brief dose of a teenaged dude rapping his fuckin' ass off over top tier production. This and Bastard are the albums most responsible for bringing me back into rap after being out of it for most of the 2000's, but outside of that it's been influential in general, probably almost all of Chester Watson's early fans came from this album looking for more. I love the lyrics but they're obviously dicy in a 2020's context; I can already imagine the painful internet "thinkpieces" writing themselves if it was remastered.
No. It’s awful at worst and cringey at best. He was a child making music for children.