The video-game melancholia and digital ephemera of I Don’t Like Shit showed how purposeful the blown-out sonics of the SoundCloud era can be when paired with a generational talent, but Some Rap Songs places Earl’s aesthetic within a longer timeline, reaching back to the atmospheric, bomb-shelter style of turn-of-the-millennium backpack rap, as well as the early-’90s golden age to which that nodded.
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 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 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.
Some Rap Songs is Earl Sweatshirt's most accomplished and deeply personal statement yet.
In just under 25 minutes, Some Rap Songs explores a great deal of psychological territory. It’s a record that’s unconcerned about being liked, but it’s worth spending some time with it. Earl Sweatshirt has important things to say, and you’ve got to lean in close if you want to hear them.
Some Rap Songs is Earl Sweatshirt's most emotionally intense and artistically defined project 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 is not a casual record—it isn’t one to bump in your car, neither is it one to “enjoy” per se. Depression, a shared yet unique experience—is a topic to empathize with—and for Earl, it’s a festering reality—one he has finally been able to channel into his art most intricate and affecting.
Although a very strong record for what it is, Some Rap Songs lacks the emotional power of the two albums that preceded it, particularly Doris, which charted Earl's transition back to civilian life from a Samoan wilderness camp.
an album of snippets
Edit for people who wanna know my issues with this: It feels and sounds like a bunch of unfinished demos that were made in 2 months. The flows are really uninteresting and overall there's really nothing overtly enjoyable about this project. Each song is too short to be truly enjoyable (That's not saying short songs are all bad, but at least pack something interesting in the short runtime of a song)
I like to imagine I’m at a Denny’s at three in the morning.
I pick a seat near the window so my eyes can fixate on the street. I can’t sleep and I’m done wrestling my urge to. I order coffee.
“Black, please.” I ask quietly.
I can’t taste anything right now, so why make things harder for the people in the back? I hear the creaking of a chair. I see a man stand up getting ready leave. Seemingly, a trucker from the look of his wonky physique and the way ... read more
Shoutout to @ThePurpleIdiot for the recommendation.
Depression defined... but also a dull descent towards emptiness.
Some Rap Songs is the 3rd studio album from American rapper Earl Sweatshirt, released in November 2018. It was recorded from December 2016 to January 2018.
It was considered an experimental left turn in Earl's musical career, taking a completely different direction from the sounds of Odd Future. It's also a departure from his 2015 predecessor 'I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go ... read more
This album is a 65/100 and a 99/100 at the same time, this albums feels like how I imagine it feels like to go to school after pulling an all-nighter
sounds like a series of emotions defined into the form of music
but honestly i just wish earl would've picked a better title for this album, and this cover be scaring the hoes
The title of this project makes it sounds like just a bunch of throwaways, but goddamn, it ain't, this is so good!
1 | Shattered Dreams 2:21 | 90 |
2 | Red Water 1:44 | 82 |
3 | Cold Summers 1:06 | 87 |
4 | Nowhere2go 1:53 | 88 |
5 | December 24 1:46 | 88 |
6 | Ontheway! 1:41 feat. Standing On The Corner | 90 |
7 | The Mint 2:45 feat. Navy Blue | 90 |
8 | The Bends 1:34 | 84 |
9 | Loosie 0:59 | 82 |
10 | Azucar 1:25 | 92 |
11 | Eclipse 1:33 | 84 |
12 | Veins 1:59 | 85 |
13 | Playing Possum 1:34 | 81 |
14 | Peanut 1:13 | 82 |
15 | Riot! 1:06 | 92 |
#4 | / | Sputnikmusic |
#5 | / | Far Out Magazine |
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#6 | / | SPIN |
#7 | / | Highsnobiety |
#7 | / | Pitchfork |
#8 | / | DJBooth (Hip Hop / R&B) |