Earl Sweatshirt
Encyclopedia
Thebe Kgositsile better known by his stage name
Earl Sweatshirt, is an American rapper and member of the Los Angeles
hip hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All.
. Thebe attended New Roads High School in Santa Monica
, California.
His music has been well reviewed online by various music websites and his group has recently been featured in mainstream magazines such as The New Yorker, Thrasher, Spin, The Wire, Billboard, and The Fader as well as on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
. His debut studio album, Earl
, was self-released March 31, 2010 as a free digital download on the OFWGKTA website. Most of the album was produced by Tyler, The Creator
. Earl was named the 24th best album of 2010 by Complex Magazine
. Earl's rapping style is notable for its dark lyrical content, heavy wordplay, multi-syllabic rhymes, and double entendres.
Various sources indicate that Earl is not currently making music with OFWGKTA. Posts from Tyler, The Creator
's twitter
and Formspring seem to indicate that Earl's mother will not grant permission to release any of Earl's music. This was later confirmed by the fact that Fat Possum Records
, the label releasing MellowHype
's BlackenedWhite
re-release, was unable to include the track "Chordaroy" which contained his vocals.
Following an abrupt absence from the public eye, Complex Magazine claimed to have found Earl in April 2011. Earl later confirmed his location at Samoa
's Coral Reef Academy in an interview with The New Yorker
. While there is speculation that he may leave when he becomes legally independent at 18 years of age, Samoan law is different from that of U.S. law, with 21 being the legal age of adulthood. In the New Yorker interview, he also stated that he was not held against his will or forced to go to Samoa by his mother and requested that the "Free Earl" Campaign be stopped because he felt that his mother was being wrongly villainized by Odd Future fans trying to support him and his music. Tyler, The Creator later denied the interview and stated that the interview was Earl's mother speaking in his position. On Tyler, The Creator's formspring, Tyler claims that Earl started the "Free Earl" campaign. A later interview carried out by Complex with another Coral Reef Academy attendee (Tyler Craven) confirmed that the interview in the New Yorker did not consist of Thebe's words. Tyler Craven claims he knows Thebe and that they became good friends while attending the academy. Tyler Craven originally led Complex Magazine to the photo of Thebe that was found. He had an interview with Complex answering many other speculations and questions people had about Thebe. The interview has been disputed, however, by the other members of Odd Future, as well as a former pupil who attended Coral Reef.
Earl has been sent to Coral Reef Academy by his mother due to her discovery of her son's dark lyrics. Once he is 18, he will be released. His release date is rumored to be on his 18th birthday, February 24th, 2012. It has also been rumored that Earl has been writing lyrics during his stay at Coral Reef Academy.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Earl Sweatshirt, is an American rapper and member of the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
hip hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All.
Biography
He is the son of South African poet and political activist Keorapetse KgositsileKeorapetse Kgositsile
Keorapetse William Kgositsile is a South African poet and political activist, and was an influential member of the African National Congress in the 1960s and 1970s. He lived in exile in the United States from 1962 until 1975, the peak of his literary career...
. Thebe attended New Roads High School in Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
, California.
His music has been well reviewed online by various music websites and his group has recently been featured in mainstream magazines such as The New Yorker, Thrasher, Spin, The Wire, Billboard, and The Fader as well as on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
. His debut studio album, Earl
Earl (album)
Earl is the debut studio album by OFWGKTA member Earl Sweatshirt. It was released as a free digital download on the OFWGKTA website.The album features production by BeatBoy and fellow OFWGKTA members Tyler, The Creator and Left Brain....
, was self-released March 31, 2010 as a free digital download on the OFWGKTA website. Most of the album was produced by Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, the Creator
Tyler Okonma , better known by his stage name Tyler, The Creator, is an American rapper, record producer, music video director, actor, graphic artist and fashion designer from Los Angeles, currently signed to English independent record label XL Recordings and his own record label, Odd Future...
. Earl was named the 24th best album of 2010 by Complex Magazine
Complex magazine
Complex is a young men's style/lifestyle magazine founded by Marc Ecko and Hugh McFall in 2002. The publication offers mainstream readers insight into the latest trends in niche cultures, such as streetwear, sneaker culture, hip hop, and graphic art...
. Earl's rapping style is notable for its dark lyrical content, heavy wordplay, multi-syllabic rhymes, and double entendres.
Various sources indicate that Earl is not currently making music with OFWGKTA. Posts from Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, the Creator
Tyler Okonma , better known by his stage name Tyler, The Creator, is an American rapper, record producer, music video director, actor, graphic artist and fashion designer from Los Angeles, currently signed to English independent record label XL Recordings and his own record label, Odd Future...
's twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and Formspring seem to indicate that Earl's mother will not grant permission to release any of Earl's music. This was later confirmed by the fact that Fat Possum Records
Fat Possum Records
Fat Possum Records is an American independent record label based in Oxford, Mississippi. At first Fat Possum focused almost entirely on recording hitherto unknown Mississippi blues artists . Recently, Fat Possum has signed younger rock acts to its roster...
, the label releasing MellowHype
MellowHype
MellowHype is an American hip hop duo from Los Angeles, California, that consists of OFWGKTA members Hodgy Beats , real name Gerard Long, and Left Brain , real name Vyron Turner. Hodgy Beats claims the two met by having similar friends in high school. Left Brain was looking for an artist and Hodgy...
's BlackenedWhite
BlackenedWhite
- Charts :...
re-release, was unable to include the track "Chordaroy" which contained his vocals.
Following an abrupt absence from the public eye, Complex Magazine claimed to have found Earl in April 2011. Earl later confirmed his location at Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
's Coral Reef Academy in an interview with The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
. While there is speculation that he may leave when he becomes legally independent at 18 years of age, Samoan law is different from that of U.S. law, with 21 being the legal age of adulthood. In the New Yorker interview, he also stated that he was not held against his will or forced to go to Samoa by his mother and requested that the "Free Earl" Campaign be stopped because he felt that his mother was being wrongly villainized by Odd Future fans trying to support him and his music. Tyler, The Creator later denied the interview and stated that the interview was Earl's mother speaking in his position. On Tyler, The Creator's formspring, Tyler claims that Earl started the "Free Earl" campaign. A later interview carried out by Complex with another Coral Reef Academy attendee (Tyler Craven) confirmed that the interview in the New Yorker did not consist of Thebe's words. Tyler Craven claims he knows Thebe and that they became good friends while attending the academy. Tyler Craven originally led Complex Magazine to the photo of Thebe that was found. He had an interview with Complex answering many other speculations and questions people had about Thebe. The interview has been disputed, however, by the other members of Odd Future, as well as a former pupil who attended Coral Reef.
In Popular Culture
A reference to Earl was made on the adult swim television show Childrens Hospital.Earl has been sent to Coral Reef Academy by his mother due to her discovery of her son's dark lyrics. Once he is 18, he will be released. His release date is rumored to be on his 18th birthday, February 24th, 2012. It has also been rumored that Earl has been writing lyrics during his stay at Coral Reef Academy.