Earl Sweatshirt

Some Rap Songs

For all its signs of progression, the record is never heavy-handed with its ambition. Its unforced attempt at making sense of the fraught present, at finding shelter without resorting to convenient escape, is a rare and, dare I say, sincere feat.

Simultaneously sad, strange, and warmly nostalgic, Some Rap Songs is excitingly listenable and emotionally connected despite its abstruse approach.

Some Rap Songs is a pretty rare rap album as each song perfectly bleeds into one another. This leaves the group of songs in its own concept universe.

Detractors might call Some Rap Songs unfinished-sounding or simplistic, pointing to the 15 tracks that barely eclipse the length of Kanye's 7-track Wyoming albums earlier this year. But Earl is a formalist who knows exactly when he's done making his point, a skill that puts him above most contemporaries just as firmly as his lyrical talents.

With its esoteric lo-fi production and imperfect style, Some Rap Songs is easily one of the year’s most intriguing projects.

Some Rap Songs is Earl Sweatshirt's most accomplished and deeply personal statement yet.

It’s impossible to say where Earl is mentally after Some Rap Songs. This was obviously a document of catharsis and exploration, diving into his own artistic and troubled genetics. But musically, he’s created the most captivating album of his career.

Some Rap Songs packs a lot in 25 minutes, making for an unsettling listen that is also one of the most personal, gripping rap records of the year.

Some Rap Songs is Earl Sweatshirt's most emotionally intense and artistically defined project yet.

Some Rap Songs is the rare album by an immensely talented lyricist who deigns not to pull out any fireworks, opting to sink into the cushion’s of a therapist’s couch in the search for an honest work of art. It’s a delicate statement of restraint, and in this case the process shows more of the artist than ever before.