The Ballad of Earl Sweatshirt

An article on Earl Sweatshirt was published today on the New York Times, shining some light on Earl’s one year absence from Odd Future. Jon Caramanica, the author of the article, gives us some insight on Earl’s stay in Samoa, his reasons for being sent away, his experiences there, and just about any other question you could have about the subject.

This 3 page article puts us in Earl’s shoes and allows us to understand his thought process while in Samoa, and gives us a first hand look at his mother’s reasoning for sending him away. In addition, we learn about Earl’s connection with Tupac Shakur’s former mentor, Leila Steinberg, which had many of us questioning after the rumors of them working together. Complete with powerful quotes and compelling information, you definitely want to read this article in it’s entirety.

Read the article here and let us know your opinions on the forums!

In Samoa he was taking courses and speaking with therapists. He swam with whales and earned a scuba diving license, watched every episode of “The Mentalist” on DVD, put his classmates onto Lil B, began learning how to play piano. He read Manning Marable’s Malcolm X biography and Richard Fariña’s counterculture fiction. He wrote rhymes. Most of his verse on “Oldie,” his one contribution to “The OF Tape Vol. 2” (Odd Future), released in March, was written while he was in Samoa, before he knew if he’d ever have a song to put it on. – The New York Times