Album of the Week, vol. 3

November 30th, 2018 Earl Sweatshirt dropped his third official studio album with 15 tracks and a beautiful sound titled “Some Rap Songs.” With this album I can honestly say that every single song is perfect and I could give them each their own descriptions but some tracks do stand out above others. The album kicks off with “Shattered Dreams” immediately giving the album a theme with a old and cracked soul loop that sounds exactly like the title of the song, the next stand out tracks are back to back and first is “Ontheway!” which features Standing On The Corner and has one of my favorite beats on this tape. Right after this beautiful song we hear a top 3 track on the album which is “The Mint,” this song features Navy Blue who opens the track and seamlessly his voice fades into Earl’s who takes the track and makes it perfect. Next is the unique song/interlude titled “Playing Possum,” many say that this track is the worst on the album but in reality I see it as one of the best and most impacting tracks, Earl puts a mind bending sample behind his parents each going back and forth in speeches they have gave, Earl’s mother Cheryl Harris gives a speech to all of those who have helped through all of her hardships and have always tolerated all of her hurt, madness, sadness, and her brokenness, all mended into Earl’s late father, Keorapetse Kgositsile, reciting his poem about home. This song honestly blew me away and the way these speeches mend together make this a 10/10 track. Finally is the final and most popular song that may have no words but most of the rap universe has seen nothing like it before, is “Riot! This song samples “Riot,” by Earl’s late uncle and Earl’s father’s best friend, Hugh Masekela who passed a week after Keorapetse. This track is the perfect outro and my favorite closer on a hip hop album of all time and it is the light at the end of a long dark tunnel. But out of every track on this perfect album my favorite is “Azucar.”

With a beat produced by Navy Blue the chops make the best beat I have ever heard this is my top beat on the album and Earl’s voice and flow compliment the track so well. Immediately when I heard the track I knew the sample because I had listened to the song and loved it for a long time, sampling “Girl Blue” by The Main Ingredient.I will never understand how Navy Blue made this beat and found wear to chop but after hearing this track I realized just how great he is. Earl talks on topics such as addiction to alcohol and friendships he has, this song is so heartfelt and if you don’t want to listen to the whole album you should listen to this track.I rate this album a 10/10 no questions asked and the album cover is also a 10/10, every single track is perfect. Each track is less than 3 minutes being short and sweet, each song compliments the next, each sound feels absolutely perfect, each sample is a cold but warm broken vinyl feel, and all and all this album is perfect. The album cover and name are also just so perfect, Some Rap Songs makes the album feel as if it is nothing too serious and has no real lead up story nor any meaning, but in reality this album is about Earl’s addiction, broken relationships, wrong decisions, family, and he also made this album to help his relationship with his father. In the end this is definitely one of, if not the best and my most favorite rap album of all time and you should give it a listen.