Sol first came onto my radar during the fall of last year when his single, So Damn High, hit number one on the Hype Machine charts. While it was obviously not a deeply metaphorical song, it was so damn catchy and well crafted that I became a fan. That track was off of the second installment in his Dear Friends trilogy. I had some trouble finding an mp3 download, which surprised me because, considering how good the song was, I figured more blogs would have picked up on it sooner.
I hadn't heard much from old Solzilla until a few weeks ago when his collabo with DJ Jacks Green, This Shit, came out. Again, Sol delivered with a perfect chill out song for the summer. The concluding EP was released today, and it's a great listen. The production is refreshingly light and electronic, but Sol is a rapper at heart, and he spits his lines with an impressive confidence and ease. Download Vol. III from his website, here.
Sol hails from Seattle, and my hope is that this young man can align himself with the burgeoning Pacific Northwest hip-hop scene. I'll leave the words to my personal favorites from the region, Blue Scholars... Quality alternative hip-hop deserves a home in every corner of our nation.
Be sure to treat ya self to all of Sol's Dear Friends EPs for free here. Sol seems like a genuine guy, who truly cares about his fans. There was a post on his Facebook page tonight from a fan who said he had commented somewhere that he simply wished that Vol. III would be released before he took a flight abroad and away from an Internet connection. Apparently, Sol personally messaged the man a download link late last night in time before he left. That shows true dedication to one's craft and respect for the people who make an artist's career possible, the fans. Very impressive, Sol, that's one way to really make us feel like dear friends.
Tyler, The Creator posted this over at the Odd Future tumblr a few days ago. Apparently, he's bored and one-legged on tour and decided to put together a playlist of his personal favorite summertime songs. This mix is by no means reflective of the standard Odd Future music we have come to know. None of the violent and bizarre themes that are usually to be expected from an OFWGKTA release are found in this collection.
I thought that this list provided an interesting insight into the mind behind the often misjudged OF collective, and helped to solidify Tyler as a legitimate artist in my opinion.
If you pay any attention to current hip-hop, then you have no doubt come across something involving Odd Future. It may have been some blogger fawning over them because of their rebelliousness. Maybe it was some hip-hop snob scoffing at their weak production and cheap rhymes. Their fan base was probably exuding vehement cries of "KILL THEM ALL" or "DON'T GIVE A FUCK". Their haters were likely condemning the lyrical themes of rape and murder. Whatever the sentiment, Odd Future has had a lot of buzz surrounding them. For anyone who truly cares about music and the state of hip-hop, the only question should be: How long will the attention last? It will be interesting to see if they can remain relevant and true to themselves at the same time.
A year ago, my summer playlists were full of fun, party songs by up-and-comers like Sam Adams and Wiz Khalifa. I haven't heard anything new in a long time from Sam, and Wiz has rocketed into the mainstream spotlight, but has seemingly drifted away from the style that first appealed to me. The heavy stream of traffic on the new music highway today makes it increasingly difficult to stay original and well-liked.
I have not previously posted any Odd Future music for a couple of reasons. Firstly, my intention with this blog is to expose cool music that I feel is worth talking about, and the OF crew was doing just fine in terms of exposure without my help. Secondly, I honestly have not been overly impressed with any of their material. I listen to it, and I do like most of it, but nothing was strong enough for me to want to share. In fact, this mix only has a couple of actual OF features on it. The remainder is comprised of relaxing indie songs and Pharrell produced hip-hop tracks. Tyler sprinkles in his own colorful commentary as his new alter ego, DJ Stank Daddy, and screws what can be assumed to be his most favorite songs down into his own deep toned voice.
Tyler and the rest of Odd Future have long maintained that they are not trying to please anyone, and are only set on making music that they would want to hear. If others do too, so be it, but they DGAF. What is important about this tape is that it lets us hear an artist's influences, which help to create a transparency between the artist's process and the final product. Yonkers isn't nearly as baffling nor as terrifying with the knowledge that Tyler enjoys kicking back on a summer day to some toro y moi or Jill Scott. Knowing Tyler has diverse musical tastes tells us that he can't be as angry and serious as he may seem. This fact, therefore, increases the artistic value of his output. If he can so convincingly portray such an appalling character, we have to applaud his efforts instead of dismissing them as trite. In addition, Summer Camp does have underlying consistencies in production that do evoke a summer vibe and can be felt upon relistening to Odd Future songs.
Tyler and his merry band of troublemakers aren't just a group of menaces to society, despite their public persona. They are a tightly-knit group with a common resolve to make quality music that they can be proud of and enjoy. Even with the odds and critics stacked against them, those qualities place them ahead of the curve on the path to lengthy careers.
Save yourself some time looking up songs and peep the whole tracklist and another download link here.
