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The Internet is back with feel good music for the summer! The Odd Future (in which we heavily hope isn’t permanently broken up) extension dropped their Ego Death album today, and just like their previous album Feel Good,  their features and production are very limited but fitting. On this album, you can look forward to witnessing poppington artists like Janelle Monae, Tyler, The Creator, ROC Nation’s Vic Mensa, James Fauntleroy, and fire ass production from KAYTRANDA (who has worked with artists like GoldLink to Mick Jenkins) and Jimmy Douglass. 

Just based off the contributions to this album, it’s safe to say that “Ego Death” will be more youthful and a more upbeat project than “Feel Good”. Since we’re still holding our breath for Frank Ocean to release his follow-up to Channel Orange, there’s no reason to not bump Syd Tha Kyd’s & Matt Martians’ latest greatness. You can easily find it here on Spotify, or purchase through iTunes. Buy it. Bump it. Support it. It’s “For The World” and definitely a Special Affair.

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Is there a collaboration waiting for the three giants in the future? If so, this would be one of the most interesting collaborations in recent memory. J. Cole is supposed to be dropping his untitled sophomore project for Roc Nation sometime in the near future, so a monster-collaboration like this one is a quick way to build a sizable buzz.

The post J. Cole, Frank Ocean, and No I.D. Caught in Studio Together appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Last night  Frank Ocean unexpectedly decided to drop new music via his Tumblr right before he performed in New York City. The song “Blue Whale” isn’t the typical love song that we’d expect from Mr. Ocean. Instead he is showcasing his rapping skills over a simplistic beat. Are you feeling Frank’s bars? Take a listen below.

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Photo by Sagan Lockhart

When Earl Sweatshirt returned form Samoa, the hip-hop community accepted him with open arms. As the young emcee has gotten back into the swing of things by making and releasing new music, some of those arms have started to take up arms, frequently firing shots at Earl for his alleged fall from grace. In true Odd Future fashion, Earl eventually took to the internet and responded with a sardonic tweet:

This nigga earl fell off bruh. This nigga boof.

— Earl Sweatshirt (@earlxsweat) July 21, 2012

It seems silly to debate whether or not Earl has fallen off– whatever that really even means. After all, he’s only released one song (“Home“). Other than that, all he has released is guest verses. Yet for some reason, Earl’s detractors see those verses as evidence of an imminent decline. Because these detractors can’t seem to shut up on their own, it’s time for an intervention.

First, it’s important to remember that Earl rose to prominence when he was not currently making music, kind of like an artist becoming popular after death or incarceration. Because Earl was neither making music nor able to talk about the music he made, the existing music and everything it embodied eclipsed him. In other words, because Earl was the dominant image of Earl and that image had nothing standing beside it, in fans’ minds, Earl is Earl. That image of Earl stands at odds with his experiences in Samoa and with Earl’s plans for the future. As expressed in Jon Caramanica’s article and more recent tweets Earl is done with Earl.

I hope i lose you as a fan if you only fuck with me cause i rapped about raping girls when i was 15.

— Earl Sweatshirt (@earlxsweat) August 12, 2012

That being said, the accusations being leveled against Earl aren’t necessarily about his content. According to the murmurs, post-Samoa Earl just isn’t as technically proficient as Earl. That doesn’t hold up. “Home,” Earl’s aptly named first released song upon his return, makes this apparent: “Mouth deliver poop, it’s spouting mucus from its stupid tongue/Alpha male, got the chickens looser than his cruising trucks/Losers get a Kuma Punch, I’m moving like a puma’s lunch.” The internal rhymes, the brash, impudent lyrics and the stunted delivery  that Earl is known for are all there. The only noticeable difference is a deeper voice and less undulation in Earl’s tone, products of physical maturation. In Syd the Kyd’s own words, Earl’s matured, but he hasn’t changed.

On his guest verses, Earl is just as vibrant as he is on “Home.” Domo Genesis’ “Elimination Chamber” and Frank Ocean’s “Super Rich Kids” feature an Earl that fits right in with the tone and concepts of the songs. Perhaps that’s the issue. While Earl was away, he stood out. Youthful, rebellious and absent in person, yet present in the music– the Earl we get on Earl is an iconoclast, an anomaly and an enigma. Now that he’s back, his tweets, his guest verses and video appearances constantly remind us that he is just like any other rapper. Put simply, now that Earl’s mystique is gone, the man himself stands in its wake.

In the end, the murmurs of a sophomore slump are nonsense. Earl hasn’t even started his next semester yet. So far, all he’s done is summer coursework. For fans who have always been more enthralled by the music than by the mystique, the former has been and will be the determining factor for any evaluations of Earl’s status. For those who are still in love with the mystique, that’s fine, but your relationship is a lie.

The post disRESPECT. To All The Earl Haters: He Hasn’t Fallen Off, Your Relationship Was Just A Lie appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

This year has been a great year for unofficial videos. “Cold” was probably the best of the bunch until By Any Means produced this video for Frank Ocean’s “Lost.” Notice the orange palette throughout the video. This is good stuff. Maybe Frankie O himself will shout this out on Twitter. Until then, be sure to watch this on full screen for maximum effect.

The post New (Un-Official) Video: Frank Ocean – “Lost” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.