Odd Future BBC Interview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G65r9vZQuZQ

NME OF Tape Vol.2 Review

Verdict
An hour and a bit is more than enough time to spend in Odd Future’s company unless you’re still in touch with the 14-year-old moron within, in which case the gags are good. With so much supposed talent in the collective though, there could be more variation in the beats (stuck on ‘lope’) and the synths (stuck on ‘slightly sinister’). And as ever, you either take the misogyny, homophobia and general dickishness with a pinch of salt like they claim you should or hand them a public pummeling. The alternative is giving ‘The Odd Future Tape Vol. 2’ the swerve altogether and missing out on 10 tracks’ worth of decent official opening salvo (and some mixtape throwaways). Your call. Swag.

http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=1&title=first_listen_odd_future_the_odd_future_t_2&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

Rolling Stones quote

"Let's be honest, that last Relapse CD was eh," Eminem admits on "Not Afraid," his therapeutic new single. Even a sicko like Slim Shady couldn't stomach another humorless disc of Lindsay Lohan decapitation fantasies, so he scrapped Relapse II to bring us Recovery, the apparently more introspective disc that's due this summer. "Not Afraid" reflects the new MO: It's part "fuck tha world" rage rap and part rehab-session group hug, complete with lyrics about kicking drugs and booze, and a chorus where Em sings, "Everybody come take my hand/We'll walk this road together." Over a dark, operatic beat, Eminem delivers rhymes that are typically acrobatic — and typically heavy-handed. But the anger has a gathering quality. Em ­reaffirms his commitment to his daughters, says he got sober in part to inspire his fans and promises to purge his craziness: "Time to exercise these demons/These motherfuckers are doing jumping jacks now."

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/songreviews/not-afraid-20100512#ixzz2Az0JMeWa

Odd Future - OF Tape Vol.2 BBC Music Review

BBC Review

‘Post-fame’ follow-up to notorious rap crew’s 2008 online-only debut.

Paul Lester 2012-03-23

This is being trumpeted as Odd Future’s first release ‘proper’, and certainly it’s their first since achieving global notoriety at the start of last year, roughly around the time mainman Tyler, the Creator made a startling black-and-white video to go with his single Yonkers. But this is by no means their debut: there have been upwards of a dozen free-to-download albums released over the last few years, many of them ranking with the best music made in the name of hip hop, particularly Tyler’s Bastard and Earl by the group’s totemic 11th member, Earl Sweatshirt. Said pair unveiled OF’s trademarks: brutally unpleasant lyrics set to music that was by turns bludgeoning and beautiful, a near-relative of chillwave, of which Tyler is a big fan. 

The OF Tape Vol 2 is up against it from the start: up against all those albums and all the press and blog blather that’s resulted from the group’s provocative lyrics. OF are basically in the position the Sex Pistols were after Never Mind the Bollocks – and last anyone heard, they didn’t manage a follow-up at all, let alone 12 precursors. 

Judged in this light, The OF Tape Vol 2 is an excellent addition to the group’s canon, which despite Tyler’s pronouncements to the contrary matters to this crew, who it would be foolish to dismiss as mere feral skatekids. Tyler and Left Brain’s skills as producers are peerless, even if their N*E*R*D adoration (to match their Waka Flocka Flame worship) reaches new heights on tracks such as Analog 2 and Ya Know, luscious funk muzak so breezily pretty you can’t believe they’re not Pharrell Williams covers, equal parts sick and slick. The former features a disclaimer from Tyler – "B*****s think I’m crazy / It’s just so I don’t bore you to death" – reminding listeners not to underestimate the self-lacerating aspect of his art, just in case you thought this was another misogynist's charter masquerading as a slow jam.

Lean is slow, spacey, electronic, Hodgy Beats all over it as he is much of this album. He’s a catalytic figure perhaps, but not the greatest rapper in OF, lacking the charisma of Tyler and Earl. Doms has a beat worthy of Clipse’s epochal (Neptunes-produced) Grindin’, and is puerile but ingeniously so, while Sam (Is Dead) cements their reputation for the murderously mellifluous and Rella goes some way towards recreating the impact of their early avant-rap.

If that wasn’t eclectic enough, enter Frank Ocean. OF’s in-house RnB superstar-in-waiting appears on White, a straight-up Stevie Wonder-style ballad, as though he’s wandered into the wrong session. And in case you wondered what happened to Earl, he makes a cameo on 10-minute closer Oldie, which incidentally is accompanied by a video wherein OF goof around in photographer Terry Richardson’s studio. And it’s a thrill to see the Wolf Gang in all their juvenile glory, and a reminder of how young they still are.

Is it possible to repeat the shock of first hearing, and hearing about, OF? Probably not. But they’re in a better place than the Pistols were by album two.

Odd Future Wiki

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, often abbreviated to OFWGKTA (stylized OFWGK†Δ) or simply Odd Future, is an American alternative hip hop collective from Los Angeles, California. The collective is led by rapper/producer Tyler, The Creator, and includes rappers Hodgy Beats, Earl Sweatshirt, Domo Genesis, and Mike G, singer-songwriter/rapper Frank Ocean, producers Left Brain, Syd Tha Kyd, Matt Martians, Hal Williams and other non-musical members, notably pseudo rappers Jasper Dolphin and Taco Bennett. Tyler has said that there are 60 members in the group. There are multiple groups inside the collective: MellowHype, The Internet, The Jet Age of Tomorrow, EarlWolf, and MellowHigh.

The Origins of Rap music - Wikipedia

Hip hop as music and culture formed during the 1970s when block parties became increasingly popular inNew York City, particularly among African American youth residing in the Bronx.^[17] Block parties incorporated DJs who played popular genres of music, especially funk and soul music. Due to the positive reception, DJs began isolating the percussive breaks of popular songs. This technique was then common in Jamaican dub music,^[18] and was largely introduced into New York by immigrants from Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean, including DJ Kool Herc, who is generally considered the father of hip hop. Because the percussive breaks in funk, soul and disco records were generally short, Herc and other DJs began using two turntables to extend the breaks.

Turntablist techniques - such as scratching (attributed to Grand Wizzard Theodore^[19][20]), beat mixing and/or matching, and beat juggling - eventually developed along with the breaks, creating a base that could be rapped over, in a manner similar to signifying, as well as the art of toasting, another influence found in Jamaican dub music.^[18][21]

Hip hop music in its infancy has be described as an outlet and a "voice" for the disenfranchised youth of low-economic areas,^[22] as the culture reflected the social, economic and political realities of their lives.^[23]

Explore and compare the representation of Male artists within the Rap/Hip-Hop genre, focusing on Eminem and Odd Future

Explore and Compare the Representation of Male Artists Within the Rap/Hip-Hop Genre, Focusing on Eminem and Odd Future

For my Research Investigation, I have chosen to analyse the way in which male artists within the Rap/Hip-Hop genre are represented in the Media, focusing on one album from each of the two artists: Eminem and Odd Future. I have chosen to analyse 'The Marshall Mathers LP'; one of the greatest Hip-Hop albums by one of the worlds most iconic, and successful Rap/Hip-Hop stars: Eminem. I will also be analysing and comparing the 'OF Tape Vol. 2' by the less mainstream, more outspoken Los Angeles Rap/Hip-Hop group: Odd Future. These two artists are great examples as their are both portrayed negatively and possitively within the media. Aside from their many similarities, they have certain differences in that Eminem does not take the typical 'black rapper' stereotype unlike Odd Future; this therefore gives room within my research to allow me to compare and contrast between these two influential figures. Throughout my investigation I will be using theories such as the Uses and Gratifications theory to recieve a more indepth view of how these two figures are represented.

Eminem's life has had a massive impact into his music. His music provides a meaning as most it based on his real life past experiences and difficulties; such as the bad relationship with his mother, the divorce and remarriage of his Ex Wife Kim, and his battle with the media to get his music in the public eye. This is furthermore portrayed in his music videos, and a good example would be 'The Way I am' inwhich Em is lashing out at people he feels are putting to much pressure on him including overzelous fans and record companies expecting him to top his previous successful singles, 'My Name Is' and 'The Real Slim Shady'. The Way I Am starts off with a series on very fast paced cut scenes with a 'heart-beat' like sound in the background. This is used to emphasise the stress and pressure Eminem is feeling. This outlash towards his fans and press could present a negative representation on the Male Rap music industry however it also may create sympathy for Em, as through personal identity, the fans feel his pain and can thus relate to the pressure and stress he is feeling.