Odd Future from Fairfax skate punks to Coachella

issue 16, Marcus Arman, Entertainment - By Marcus Arman on Thursday, February 3, 2011 - 04:27

How do you follow up a year in which you went from local Fairfax district skate punks to the reason that major label execs, NY Times writers and music bloggers everywhere are echoing that the future is odd? Well if you are Tyler the Creator and his Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA, or Odd Future for short) posse, you start by getting booked to play at one of the largest music festivals in the world today, Coachella.

And then a few weeks later, you get booked to perform live on Jimmy Fallon in front of mainstream America for the first time ever. I guess you can call Tyler, who attended West LA College for a week before never returning, a bit of an overachiever these days.
Despite Tyler being the main discussion point of Odd Future features, the crew is steadily stacked with talent from top-to-bottom. Earl Sweatshirt, the 16-year-old boy wonder who has been MIA throughout the group’s success, is credited as being the most lyrical, rapping lines like: “Yo, I’m a hot and bothered astronaut crashing while/Jacking off to buffering videos of Asher Roth eating apple sauce.”

Then there is the duo of MellowHype, consisting of Hodgy Beats and Left Brain; these kids rap about the finer things in life ranging from weed to Supreme box logos to gold. However, they do so in a manner that seems to set them apart – both musically and visually from mainstream contemporaries faulted for doing the same thing.
For those who have been living under a rock, or away from the pulls of Internet hype, Odd Future has risen from obscurity to the forefront of Los Angeles rap. Tyler the Creator, the “sergeant,” would reject any claim that they are leading the surge of Los Angeles rappers, because according to him: “The LA rap scene is fucking lame.”

Not a direct quote but rather a statement pulled from the gems that Tyler leaves the world with via Twitter www.twitter.com/fucktyler. Occasionally, Tyler will bask in his group’s recent success, which includes features in Thrasher and Fader magazines. However, it is not the typical braggadocio associated with rap music. It is a genuine wow-I’m-living-out-my-dreams-at-19-when-others-thought-I-was-a-joke braggadocio that makes the rise of Tyler and Odd Future all the more enjoyable to witness.

Continue down the 10 man roster of Odd Future and you will find names like Domo Genesis, typically noted for being the “stoner rapper” of the group, Jasper Dolphin, Mike G, Taco and Syd. The latter names have not built a buzz quite comparable to their crewmates yet, but with the spotlight shining on these unlikely teen idols, they should have no problem carving their own niche.

All boasting different subject matters, flows and rhymes schemes, Odd Future could be best described as the new age Wu Tang Clan. If the Wu Tang Clan had the subject matter of a ‘97 Eminem, the steez of Eric Koston and the “DGAF” attitude of Sid Vicious following a day-breaking heroin binge.

Yes, the future is odd ladies and gentlemen, real odd. The work ethic, the quality of the music and the swag of these anti-establishment rappers, makes Odd Future one of the most intriguing group acts to emerge since those rap cats emerged from the slums of Shaolin in ‘94. Or is it pro-establishment? Tyler constantly chastises backpack rap fans and those who hate “mainstream” music.

What else needs to be said? If reading this is your first exposure to Odd Future, you are already late. Hurry and download the free mix tapes www.oddfuture.com, read the media pieces, follow the Twitters and prepare for an odd 2011.