Late last year, one of the better albums of 2018 was released by Earl Sweatshirt. After weeks of speculation, the mysterious rapper finally announced that he would be dropping his next project, coming through with Some Rap Songs. The work surely will not please everybody but to fans of a more alternative or experimental genre within hip-hop, it's a must-listen. Earl is generally pretty reserved throughout the year, not feeling a need to clutter the universe with new music all the time. When he does drop, it's impactful though. With his freshly-announced departure from Columbia Records, he's excited to take even more risks in the future.
After listening to Some Rap Songs, it's difficult to even imagine what kind of further risks Earl may be wishing to explore but we're here for it. In an interview with Pitchfork, the artist revealed that Some Rap Songs was the final album on his deal with Columbia. He noted that he is looking forward to what the future holds for him, saying, "I’m excited to be free because then I can do riskier shit."
During the interview, Sweatshirt also spoke about the passing of his father, marking it one of the lowest points of his entire life. "My dad dying was the most traumatic moment of my life, but grief doesn’t just work as sadness—funny shit happens in there," said the rapper. "I’m depressed every day and I be having fun. I feel like the music feels like how the brain is wired to work: The most traumatic shit can happen and you could think how you need Lysol."