Odd Future is more than just the sum of its parts. Together these twelve rappers, producers and singers have a spark and pulse that haven't been evident in any of their solo projects. While the group is mostly known for its humorous and often offensive raps, its sound actually covers a wide range of musical genres including atmospheric, soul, R&B and rap.
Its first official studio album, "The OF Tape Vol. 2," does a nice job of showcasing all its different styles without ever feeling too scattered. One of the first highlights of the album is the track "B???h," which features Hodgy Beats and Domo Genesis trading off short and increasingly aggressive verses over a simple yet snappy beat. Both Hodgy Beats and Domo Genesis came off as below?average rappers on their individual mixtapes, but on this song their words buzz because of the conversational format, which allows them to keep their verses short and their comebacks to each other sharp and quick.
The song showcases one of the most fun aspects of Odd Future: the childish cursing and offhanded references to juvenile topics. It reminds the listener that most of these rappers are still in their late teens or early twenties, especially when they say things like, "drink it up like danimals" and mention that they are "cooler than an otterpop." What made Odd Future so fascinating when it was first discovered was how it balanced its appearance as a bunch of rowdy teens with its scarier spurts of explicit violence. This paradoxical persona is one reason so many people took notice so fast.
Conversely, the tracks that isolate some of the members tend to be the weakest ones. MellowHype gets his own song, "50," which is also the most boring song on the entire album. MellowHype tries to sound angry on the record, but his words seem to have nowhere to go and the song drifts along without the listener's attention.
Listeners can put up with songs like "50" to get to complex tracks like "Analog 2," which features Tyler, The Creator, Frank Ocean and Syd the Kid on a hazy, soul?laced beat. Tyler puts a light draw to his throaty voice that adds incredible depth to the song's atmosphere. Tyler also produced this gem, which has all three artists singing the simple chorus, "Can you meet me by the lake?/ At the park?/ In my room?" Syd's voice sounds as if it's being heard from a syrupy dream when she finally arrives later in the song; these light touches demonstrate Tyler's deft hand at producing.
Tyler is easily the most talented and exciting member of the group, as his productions have layers and often take risks that elevate the songs, like the few seconds of pure silence he added to "Analog 2," which brings the ambiance to the next level once the beat finally returns.
His raps are also miles ahead of his peers. His words easily oscillate from funny to disturbing and paint a picture of a troubled young genius. Tyler's verses overshadow those of the other rappers on his songs, as he has the ability to spit lines that resonate and stick with the listener long after he's done. On the song "P," after talking about the extremely violent acts he is going to unleash on annoying fans, he menacingly says, "Don't believe me? Okay. Be right back, I'm heading to the gun store." It's a chilling line that adds to Tyler's carefully constructed image as a troubled soul.
Tyler has often been compared to early Eminem but a more apt comparison might be Kurt Cobain. Both project troubled genius?like personas that seem to shy away from the fame that comes with their profound music. Cobain similarly added a haunting layer to his lyrics, like when he painfully sang, "And I swear that I don't have a gun" on "Come as You Are" (1992), and few musicians have ever replicated it.
While this album is rarely as shocking as Odd Future's earlier works, and probably won't win over many new fans, it still highlights what makes the group so entertaining and popular. It also allows Tyler to take the spotlight once again and prove why he is, and deserves to be, the leader of Odd Future.
