Some Rap Songs
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Some Rap Songs'' is the third studio album by American rapper Earl Sweatshirt. It was released on November 30, 2018, through Tan Cressida Records and distributed by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
. The album features guest contributions from
Navy Blue Navy blue is a dark shade of the color blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. When this color name, ...
, Standing on the Corner, as well as vocal samples of Earl's mother Cheryl Harris, Earl's father Keorapetse Kgositsile who is credited posthumously, and an instrumental sample of
Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and f ...
, who is also credited posthumously. It features prominent production from Sweatshirt himself, with further contributions by Darryl Anthony, Adé Hakim,
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
, Black Noi$e, Sage Elsesser and Shamel of SOTC.


Cover art

The cover of ''Some Rap Songs'' is a shaky, blurry
selfie A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph or a short video, typically taken with an electronic camera or smartphone. The camera would be usually held at arm's length or supported by a selfie stick instead of being controlled with a self-timer ...
of Earl smiling, "blurred beyond any easy identification". The facial features shown in the photograph have been noted: the staff of ''Atwood Magazine'' wrote that "The photo's details are still vaguely discernible, namely Earl's blurry face and floating, penetrating eyes", and Dylan Green of ''DJBooth'' highlighted the "teeth stacked together in a terrifying smile below glaring eyes." Several commentators have compared the album's blurry cover photograph with the music itself. Israel Daramola of '' Spin'' called it "an apt visual metaphor for the music itself, both in the image of a spark of life amidst chaos, and in the sense that the creative process of taking the photo may have been ruptured as it was happening." ''Atwood Magazine'' stated that the album "sounds how this picture looks—unpredictable yet calculated, blurry and distorted yet well-defined". Green wrote of the album's tracks that "The bars and the beats clash in a way befitting" of the cover photograph, and ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
''s Clayton Purdom wrote that "That blurry cover and demurring title are no feint; arl isburied in the mix, his voice fighting against crashing waves of old
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
samples and the cut-up shades of long-gone voices."


Release and promotion

''Some Rap Songs'' was released on November 30, 2018. On January 30, 2019, Earl uploaded an eight-minute short film titled ''Nowhere, Nobody'' in promotion of the album, featuring different songs from the album throughout the video.


Singles

The album's lead single, " Nowhere2go", was released on November 8, 2018. The album's second single, "The Mint" featuring
Navy Blue Navy blue is a dark shade of the color blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. When this color name, ...
, was released on November 20, 2018.


Critical reception

''Some Rap Songs'' was met with widespread critical acclaim. At
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...
score of 86, based on 19 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. Reviewing the album for ''The A.V. Club'', Clayton Purdom stated: "Well, it can be
our Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" Places * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France Other uses * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a governm ...
But it's also ecstatic. Make no mistake: This is an album by one of the best rappers alive, elbowing slant rhymes and assonance into his disses ("Please do aboard, I could feel when you're forcin' it / Still in a bore riddim") and exhaling those singularly oblong sentences of his ("Galaxy's the distance between us by Christmas," he describes one floundering relationship)." Fred Thomas of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
wrote: "Simultaneously sad, strange, and warmly nostalgic, ''Some Rap Songs'' is excitingly listenable and emotionally connected despite its abstruse approach. The album's triumphs are in its fearless risk taking and the insight it allows into the journey of Earl Sweatshirt's constant creative regeneration". ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
''s Timmhotep Aku said, "The project is distinctly rough around the edges, to great effect; there's the sound of dust popping off vinyl and cassette hiss throughout. ... His uncle and father are gone, but Earl is still here, carrying on their artistic legacy—and, with the help of his collaborators, building his own". Sputnikmusic wrote, "Every loop f "Nowhere2go"reveals another layer to the undulating beat, but for the first time thus far it's Earl taking the spotlight, rising above the track with a tired yet hopeful rap that's so melodic he's nearly singing. And in case you were worried the boy wouldn't spit, it's followed quickly by "December 24", a song dating back years under the name "Bad Acid" which provides the strongest link to the more aggressive and conventional early 2010s Earl". Daniel Spielberger of ''
HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of Hip hop music, hip hop music criticism and news. ''HipHopDX'' has over 3.5M monthly readers, the website encompassing hip hop news, interviews, music, and reviews. The website's founder and CEO is Sharath C ...
'' praised the album saying, "''Some Rap Songs'' is reminiscent to Earl's late friend
Mac Miller Malcolm James McCormick (January 19, 1992 – September 7, 2018), known by the stage name Mac Miller, was an American rapper. He began his career in Pittsburgh's local hip hop music, hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of 15. In 2010, he signed ...
's final album ''
Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...
''. Both bring the listener through the process of overcoming trauma and healing but ultimately, choose to leave the story unfinished". '' XXL'' critic Chris Gibbons said, "''Some Rap Songs'' packs a lot in 25 minutes, making for an unsettling listen that is also one of the most personal, gripping rap records of the year". Charles Holmes of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' stated, "''Some Rap Songs'' is the rare album by an immensely talented lyricist who deigns not to pull out any fireworks, opting to sink into the cushion's of a therapist's couch in the search for an honest work of art. It's a delicate statement of restraint, and in this case the process shows more of the artist than ever before". ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''s Sam Moore enjoyed the album, saying, "''Some Rap Songs'' may be a brief exercise, but its ambition and the—largely successful—execution of its ideas demonstrate that the enigmatic Earl is as fascinating as ever". M. T. Richards of ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
'' said, "Although a very strong record for what it is, ''Some Rap Songs'' lacks the emotional power of the two albums that preceded it, particularly '' Doris'', which charted Earl's transition back to civilian life from a Samoan wilderness camp".


Rankings


Track listing

Sample credits * "Shattered Dreams" contains samples from "Shattered Dreams" as performed by The Endeavors and written by John Thomas Jr. * "Cold Summers" contains a sample of "Road Man (Mystic)" as performed by Mighty Flames and written by Willy N'For, Emmanuel Baloka and Jimmy Stormy. * "Ontheway!" contains samples from "Trust in Me Baby" as performed by Soul Superiors and written by Sherman Willis. * "The Mint" contains samples from the film '' Black Dynamite'' and from "Rococo Rondo" as written and performed by The Ghostwriters. * "The Bends" contains a sample from "After Loving You" as performed by
Linda Clifford Linda Clifford (born June 14, 1948) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B, disco and house music singer who scored hits from the 1970s to the 1980s, most notably "If My Friends Could See Me Now", "Bridge over Troubled Water (song), Bridge over ...
and written by Lowrell Simon and Richard Tufo. * "Azucar" contains a sample from "I'm Just a Shoulder to Cry On" as performed by The Soul Children and written by Donald Davis, Harvey Scales and Albert Vance. * "Veins" contains a sample from "I Made a Mistake" as performed by Billy Jones and written by
Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...
. * "Playing Possum" contains vocal samples from "UCLA Law Keynote" as spoken by Cheryl Harris, and an excerpt of "Anguish Longer Than Sorrow", a poem written and spoken by Keorapetse Kgositsile. * "Riot!" contains a sample from "Riot" as performed and written by
Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and f ...
.


Personnel

Credits were adapted from the album's liner notes. * Thebe Kgositsile – engineering, mixing, vocals * Shamel of SOTC – mixing engineering, bass guitar on "Ontheway!" and “Riot!” * Mike Bozzi – mastering engineering


Charts


Release history


Notes


References


External links


''Nowhere, Nobody''
on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
{{Authority control 2018 albums Columbia Records albums Sony Music albums Albums produced by Earl Sweatshirt Earl Sweatshirt albums Hip-hop albums by American artists