SEARCH FOR: EARL SWEATSHIRT

Ever since Earl Sweatshirt notoriously switched up his style entirely and went with a more abstract concept that takes a lot more time and brainpower to sift through in order to get a deeper meaning, he has influenced other artists to follow suit. While some day-one Earl fans don’t understand this creative expression and therefore they’d rather stick to his classic albums, I for one am a big fan of this new style. It can be tough to comprehend at first, but the wild timestamps and intricate messages bring out a much more musically complex offering than ever before. Now, I only mention this because he has influenced other rappers to do the same, including his friend and collaborator Sage Elsesser who goes by the moniker Navy Blue. Navy Blue is still relatively new to the world of making music, but if you didn’t know that prior to diving into one of his songs, you’d have no idea. His sophisticated flows, interesting messages, and unique instrumentals give off the impression that he’s been working on his craft for years, when in all reality that’s just not the case. After his debut project, Ada Irin dropped earlier this year, his music started …

Although I’m impressed by a lot of the unique up and coming artists in the current state of Rap music, it seems like less and less time is being put into lyrics. A lot of these artists rely on a unique sound or a different voice that sticks out to fans in order to gain more recognition, but virtually no one is really taking the time to truly write lyrics that are mind-bending and thought-provoking. That’s why I’m such a massive fan of Earl Sweatshirt because he takes his time when writing lyrics and although I might not understand references he makes after my first or even fiftieth listen, I seem to always unveil new messages or references after every single time I turn on one of his songs. I was a fan of him back in his Odd Future days because even if his lyrics weren’t the most meaningful, I could still understand the abundance of time and effort that went into his intricate wordplay and lyricism. This effort and artistry have always been a constant throughout Earl’s extensive career, and it’s no different at all on his latest single “WHOLE WORLD” which features LA-based rapper Maxo. It’s clear …

Medhane is a very unique artist. Despite being born in New York City, the young artist’s style sounds nothing like the city’s ancestral influences, such as Jay-Z and The Notorious B.I.G. Not adhering to traditional boom-bap direction, Medhane’s vocals are much more monotone, often meshing well with grimy lofi instrumentals to match his gloomy, yet interesting artistic approach. Similar artistic peers point to artists such as Earl Sweatshirt and Chester Watson, who are exceptional in their own right. It is no surprise then that Earl Sweatshirt co-signed Medhane, with Earl having produced a collaborative track of theirs called “agoura134.” The pair have even collaborated in a fashion sense, with Medhane modeling for Earl’s clothing line “Deathworld.” Fast forward to 2020, Medhane is more motivated than ever to forge his own lane and identity. His latest visual is for the song “Trauma and Grace,” which is off his 2019 album Own Pace. The song is very chill, yet ominous, with Medhane’s opening lyrics being: “In between tomorrow and today, sunshine and I’m in the shade, stress being my wake, can’t express the pain, isolated days, what’s the price to change, life is strange.” The production matches Medhane’s melancholy tone and flow throughout, as …

In the midst of Drakeo the Ruler’s ongoing legal issues with the District Attorney’s office of Los Angeles, music continues to make its way to fans. Although Drakeo is still locked up and is awaiting a hopeful release date, he’s receiving more and more support from fellow artists in order to bring awareness to his imprisonment. Earl Sweatshirt, one of my personal favorite artists, is no stranger to the underground rap scene, showing support to artists who are on the come up or don’t necessarily have a worldwide following as he does. He sees the artistry within people rather than looking at their basic offerings and has proclaimed his enjoyment of many different up and comers throughout the years. Although the original “Ion Rap Beef” released a couple of years ago featuring assistance from the prolific 03 Greedo, Earl decided to jump on this track and breathe fresh air into the song. Over digital sounding synths, West Coast percussion, and a wavy melody, Earl goes right into his verse. He begins with his beyond clear displeasure for with the District Attorney’s office, then continues on to go after music critics and even stunts about some of the expensive items he …

I had been listening to Navy Blue’s music since I first saw him featured on Earl Sweatshirt’s album. I had also been a big fan of Sage Elsesser, following along with his skateboarding career and modeling gigs for the streetwear staple Supreme. I also knew Sage was close friends with Earl as he would get shout outs left and right from the legendary rapper, but it wasn’t until a couple of months ago that I put two and two together and realized that Navy Blue was Sage’s rap alias, making me respect his music that much more. Fresh off of his debut album release title Ada Irin last month, Navy Blue cemented his spot in minimalistic Hip-Hop music, and he’s back with a new visual for his song “Simultaneously bleeding”. The production in the track is reminiscent of recent Earl offerings, with minimalistic piano keys being played through a retro-sounding filter as if they could and very well might actually be a sample. There’s pretty much no percussion either except for a few kick drums that come in and out of earshot. He begins with a short spoken word portion before going into lines that are spit without any vocal …

Ovrkast. had a huge 2019, evident by the placement he landed on Earl Sweatshirt’s most recent project, and he’s starting off the new year with a brand new project, titled Try Again, to prove how well he can carry his own. “Face”, featuring Navy Blue, is a track from the project that needs to be highlighted. The second the hi-hats quickly fade in and complete the soulful instrumental is when it becomes apparent this will be a special track. From here, themes of vulnerability and looking inward fill the verses from the two artists as the song strongly coasts along to its finish.  Navy Blue, aka Sage Elsesser, has proved himself as not only one of the best producers of the underground, responsible for mesmerizing instrumentals such as “Azucar” and “Embarrassment of Riches”, but also one of the better lyricists out right now. His pen game is really impressive, and here he doesn’t disappoint in the slightest, with a reflective verse featuring themes of familial strength and isolation.  Check out this track down below and listen to the rest of the new project on all streaming platforms here!

The word is out. In fact, it’s been out for some time. HOOK is a must-watch talent, and she’s gaining more and more momentum by the day. Most recently, Earl Sweatshirt showed love on Twitter, adding yet another cosign to the long list of names. But even before all the buzz, HOOK has been making waves with an unmatched style of music, and separating herself thanks to an equally unique and compelling aesthetic. Today, she’s here to set her spot in stone with a brand new project alongside Nedarb–Crashed My Car–and a new music video for one of the project’s early standouts, “Yes Man.” 10 tracks long, Crashed My Car is a concise, endlessly energetic display of the oddball charisma that makes HOOK so magnetic. She’s different, and supremely confident in her ways, so much so that her songs often become anthems more so than random cuts on a project. Add this to a well-curated concoction of monster production from the legendary Nedarb, and it becomes clear why everyone is flocking to HOOK. No one does it quite like her, and her new project is proof: colorful in sound, confident in character, and by all means, energetic as hell. HOOK is one …

Turning the page into the next decade, our fourth edition of the “Top 50 Chicago Projects of the Year” list marks a special occasion. From the first list until now, four years means more than just four years of picks. It tracks four years of growth from some of our favorite artists, and a chance to watch last year’s entries rise up the ranks and improve, one year after the next. This year, we’re welcoming several Chicago mainstays as well as a plethora of new faces. The constant between every pick? A strong representation of the talent in Chicago, solidifying the city as a front runner in the trend-setting landscape of hip-hop. If there’s any city presenting some of music’s premier faces, both old and new, it’s Chicago, just as we aim to capture on this list. That said, below is Lyrical Lemonade’s top 50 Chicago projects of 2019. Thank you to all of the artists working so hard to provide us with music, and here’s to a promising decade to come for Chicago music. From 2019 ’til infinity. Honorable Mentions: Chanelle Truvillion, Kiraly Payne — 50) Josi Green & Ausar – The Good & The Bad EP Josi Green …

In my opinion, and many other music fans’ opinions, Igor just might be the album of the year. The progression that Tyler showed throughout his years of experience was lightyears further ahead than anyone expected and when Igor dropped, it hit me like a ton of bricks. It’s all I listened to for months and a week still doesn’t go by when I don’t run through it at least once. Whatever your opinion of the album is, Tyler surprised us with “Best Interest” and “Group B”, two new tracks that didn’t quite make the final cut for the album. “Best Interest” sounds like it would fit right in with Igor’s overall sound, utilizing the high-pitched vocals that can be found all over the album. About halfway through, he starts doing a call and answer with his deep, rapping voice and another higher-pitched singing voice that isn’t actually pitched up digitally. In case you weren’t counting, that makes three entirely different vocal sounds created by Tyler in one song, making it feel as if there are three different artists collaborating on a track. This song also came with a sort of music video containing Tyler singing along on a boat as it …

Earl Sweatshirt is a legend to me; he has been one of my favorite artists of the decade and every single time he releases new music it becomes something like a soundtrack for that time period for me. Earl and his mother Cheryl I. Harris recently connected with MOCA to have a conversation in front of a massive crowd at the Museum Of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and a couple of days ago Earl released the footage on his YouTube page. You will find the two of them (as well as Thebe Kgositsile at the beginning) thoroughly discussed their relationship as mother and son, why he has mastered the art of the two-minute song, the internet + the algorithms, the lasting effects of slavery, cryptocurrency, social media, how she grew up in Chicago and so much more. This is one of the best Earl interviews out, honestly probably the best, if you are a fan you need to get in tune by pressing play below!