Surell

Dear not so private journal

I like to theorize things, make connections, and analyze. When I read (rarely), watch movies, and listen to albums/artists, i am constantly trying to find the theme or concept or motivation behind why whatever is happening is happening. Sometimes this is useless, but often times there will be some motivation behind the artistic expression that is hidden beneath the surface.

In this particular not so private journal, i will share my tighter and more coherent theories behind an artist's motivation behind their album, actions, songs, etc. Now my theories may be sparse, but i hope to make them consistently intriguing or thought provoking. I will attempt to not repeat any popular theories behind the artistic expressions as well. If you fine readers disagree with any of my connections, i would love to hear your opinion to synthesize a new theory, especially if you have new factual information. But please, be respectful, or my journal will become stained with tears.

BTW: Some of my theories will be contained in reviews. And i might go back to certain theories. Anything goes, protect your God damned neck.

Now, onto my first proposal, one i've been mulling over for awhile:




Why Odd Future and its Creator Chose Such a Title

Tyler, the Creator. It sounds godlike. How many rappers have called themselves God since, say, the 90's? I know at least three: Ghostface, Nas, Lil Wayne. Tyler is incredibly different though; his clique is similar to Ghostface's associates the Wu Tang Clan in the fact that their all extremely talented, diverse, and kind of outcasts. Wu Tang have become more and more legendary and the norm amongst hip hop heads (at least from my young observation), with their skill being often times matched with that of Tupac, Biggie, Rakim, Eminem, etc.

Odd Future's hype has exploded into extreme cult following because of their diverse projects and influences and outcast fanbase. Their talent is also a source of all the buzz as well: their rhymes stand out from the mainstream norm and even the underground standards, and their beats are lo-fi, yet still so dense with darkness and attractive to the ear, like the Sirens. The aforementioned projects include a slick, beautiful R&B album including samples from MGMT. and Coldplay, and a skit using "Optimistic" by Radiohead; a futuristic space-jazz producer; and a collaboration between two musicians that turned the most mainstream rapper in the group into a sinister being (whose forthcoming album has been described as "Black Sabbath rap" by the producer).

Obviously these guys aren’t run-of-the-mill Hip Hop; yet their name implies that they are the future, no matter how strange. The future, according to them, is dark, morbid, satanic, devilish, etc. It seems strange when you think about the current state of rap; the omnipresent clique on the radio is Young Money Cash Money, Lil Wayne’s troupe of protégés (as I see them, for their similar styles and content). Odd Future seems to me like the antithesis of Young Money’s character, or the antagonist; one cannot survive in popularity with the other, it just doesn’t match up. However, as I mentioned earlier, Odd Future are blowing up: TV show performances, interviews with huge music trendsetters/observers, even radio play. So this Odd Future seems to be hitting home in the near future.

Though, as I also mentioned earlier, Tyler’s name appears godlike, his character/persona is more Antichrist than Jesus Christ. He rapes, does cocaine, kills people, hates gays (no homo), and draws upside down crosses everywhere, constantly exclaiming “KILL PEOPLE BURN SHIT FUCK SCHOOL.” If Tyler is as divine as his name implies, he would most likely be prophetic. So his Odd Future seems a prediction of what Hip Hop will become- or is becoming.



Hip Hop has faced the accusation of satanic worship recently from the Illuminati conspiracy theories. According to the theory, top rappers such as Jay Z, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Rick Ross are in a top ranking of Free Mason society, in which you must renounce the Lord as your savior in exchange for fame and fortune, also taking part in a movement to install a New World Order of totalitarian political slavery for all those not in the mix. Or something like that. The rapper Prince Ea, an old favorite of mine, has taken the persona of a paranoid conspiracy theorist and often chooses the subject of Illuminati for his raps; his Adolescence mixtape consists of conspirator allusion, gangster rap punchlines, and murder. My ladyfriend has seen similarities in Tyler, the Creator and Prince Ea’s strange/unusual subject matter, and while I, too, see the similarity in that field, I also see the similarity in their belief that the future holds nothing good in Hip Hop; however, Tyler is channeling Prince Ea’s predictions into a character who acts them out: Hip Hop misogyny has been replaced with full on rape; murder in the name of not being fake has been taken to extreme levels outside of gangbanging or drug peddling; egos have been boosted to godlike levels due to drugs (and Hip Hop’s generally obnoxious atmosphere); homophobia has become a motive for murder; and, of course, the upside down crosses mark the coming of a terrible new leadership into a terrible new world.

This sick satire of Hip Hop can also be exemplified by the group’s obsession with “Swag.” Swag, or swagger, has been the latest mainstream Hip Hop obsession, period, beginning with songs such as “Swagger Like Us.” Apparently, without swagger, your raps are worth nothing. Prince Ea once claimed that he had swag “when swag was called character.” It seems as if every rapper wants to outdo one another while being an exact clone of one another; character has become a processed trait that everyone claims to have, leaving them without character, or uniqueness. While Tyler and his clique do stand out, they desire the same success as these other “swagged out” rappers.

Odd Future are making waves in the Hip Hop and music world; they’re very unlike something we’ve seen before. Sure, the influences can all be traced back (such as punk rock and Eminem), but the culmination of all their elements, styles, and talents is practically unheard of. Their Twainian satire mixed with their deadly serious darkness is something that can surely revolutionize Hip Hop and Music as we know it – for as we know: “Swag is the midwife to revolution.”

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